Jared Hamman doesn’t care about accolades – he just wants to fight.
The former college football player turned fighter loves to mix it up, and that’s exactly what he’ll be looking to do when he faces C.B. Dollaway this Sunday in Milwaukee at UFC on Versus 5.
“I think we match-up well. C.B. is a wrestler, but that’s his background. He also likes to kick box. He likes to fight, man. He’s not into the lay and pray where he is going to just sit there and be boring.”
“He likes to fight and the UFC has done a good job, in my opinion, putting me up against guys who like to fight. I enjoy that and think we match up well. I think it is going to be an exciting fight for the fans. I like C.B.’s mentality and he’s not going to avoid fighting me. He brings it and I respect that. I absolutely love fighting guys that do that and I’m very excited for this fight.”
Dollaway is coming off of a first round knockout loss to contender on the rise Mark Munoz. Hamman will also be looking to get back into the win column and believes these circumstances only heighten the odds for an exciting battle.
“I think he’s going to be fired up. I lost my last fight and I know I’m extra motivated to get back in there. I think he’s going to come in even faster and stronger than his last fight because of the loss. That’s what it does to a true athlete…it motivates them.”
“I don’t think it’s going to be a negative for him because he’s going to come in fired up. I know I will be too and that’s even greater for me because I’m fired up as heck and ready to get out there and fight. I’ve been knocked out before and came back just fine. I lost that way to Alexander Gustafsson and came back and beat Rodney Wallace which earned “Fight of the Night.“
The bout against Dollaway will also be Hamman’s middleweight debut. Rather than start the weight cut in training camp, “The Messenger” restructured his entire diet earlier in the year to prepare.
“The weight cut has been great. It’s kind of odd to say because most people normally talk about how rough it has been. I cut the weight back in March to do a preliminary run and to be professional about it, to make sure it was something I could do. I made the weight so then I hired a dietician name P.R. Cole from Fuel the Fighter (www.fuelthefighter.com) and she has made it relatively easy. Now I eat great food and the weight comes off easy. I feel great. I’m in fantastic health and I’m really looking forward to making this debut at middleweight.”
“I’m actually excited about the middleweight division. I was one of the smaller guys in the light heavyweight division and even Joe Rogan called me “The Postman” which was kind of funny. Now I’ll be one of the bigger guys coming into the weight class and I’m excited to start something new and fresh.”
Hamman has earned “Fight of the Night” honors in his past two outings and credits his mentality as being the driving force behind the performances.
“I don’t necessarily strive to get Fight of the Night but I can’t stand leaving a fight in the judge’s hands. I know MMA is a sport but in my mind it’s still a fight. You should want to make it where the judges don’t have to do their jobs. I should do my job so the judges don’t have to. I’ve gone to a decision twice in my career but I’ve sure as heck tried not to. I always want to go out there and get it done. I don’t want to sit there and pitter-patter and be a bum. This is my mindset and if that leads to “Fight of the Night” then cool.”
While a win over Dollaway is the main priority on Hamman’s list, he isn’t concerned where people place him in the bigger picture.
“I’m not really there to make any kind of statement to anybody. I just absolutely love to fight. Whether people think I’m top 10, 5 or 100…doesn’t matter to me. People are going to have their own opinions and I’m not there to correct anybody. I just love to battle. I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way. If people want to watch me fight then cool. If they don’t…that’s cool too.”
“It’s just so much fun for me to go out there and fight and it doesn’t matter to me if it’s in the top 10 or in the backyard. That’s just the way I see it because you never know if what fight is your last. You could get hit by a car and there are so many other outside factors so I just train my butt off like every fight is going to be my last and let God take it where he takes it.”
With his return to the Octagon less than a week away, Hamman is ready to see his hard work pay off. He makes one final promise to UFC fans.
“I’m going to do my job and win fights. I’m going to try my hardest to not let them go to a decision. I understand people want to see exciting fights and shoot…I want to see that too because I’m a fan of fighting. I can promise I will go out there and give it everything I got to end that fight. It doesn’t matter if it’s a submission or a knockout, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going out there to give it my best and give God the glory in the process. That’s my plan.”
