Matt Hamill: Friendship Out the Door vs. Tito Ortiz at UFC 121

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive

Overshadowed by a heavyweight title fight, and the promotional debut of one of the most successful non-UFC fighters in history, teacher and student square off at UFC 121.

Matt Hamill was was one of Tito Ortiz's prized pupils on Season 3 of "The Ultimate Fighter." On Saturday in Anaheim, Calif., they meet nearly five years after filming the show, and their careers couldn't be going in much more opposite directions. Yet most eyes are on Brock Lesnar-Cain Velasquez and Jake Shields-Martin Kampmann.

Ortiz is far removed from his days as one of the most dominant champions in UFC history. He hasn't won a fight in four years. Hamill, on the other hand, has won four straight. But Hamill isn't looking at the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately side of his former coach, now adversary.

"Tito has fought a lot of good fighters and he has had amazingly close fights," Hamill told MMA Fighting. "But I'm not thinking about his record or what his own mindset coming into this fight is. I'm just focusing on fine-tuning my own skills and my own mindset."

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