After 41 Years, Deaf UFC Star Who Defeated Jon Jones Ends Decades of Silence: “I Can Finally Hear”
After over four decades of silence, former UFC standout Matt Hamill can finally hear.
Hamill, 48, shared some heartwarming news on social media, revealing that he was able to hear his children’s voices for the first time after acquiring high-powered hearing aids that were developed with state-of-the-art technology to amplify his surrounding environment.
“I just got the most powerful digital hearing aids ever made,” Hamill wrote on Instagram. “For the first time in 41 years, I can finally hear my kids’ voices, the sounds of people walking and laughing. I finally heard my mom’s voice and she cried. I’m looking forward to hearing my brother Pat’s voice too. I only hope he doesn’t have a voice like a foghorn. This is awesome although I know it will take time to adapt to all of this. Happy New Year!”
Matt Hamill is best known for his crazy DQ win over ‘bones’ at the UFC’s TUF 10 finale
A three-time NCAA Division III national champion, Matt Hamill made his UFC debut in June 2006 and competed inside the Octagon for seven years. Along the way, he shared the cage with a slew of MMA legends like Michael Bisping, Rich Franklin, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, and Alexander Gustafsson.
Hamill’s most notable victory came via a controversial disqualification against two-division titleholder and reigning undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.
‘Bones’ was having his way with Hamill, lighting up the Loveland, Ohio native with a slew of strikes from the mount. With less than a minute to go in the opening round, referee Steve Mazzagatti halted the action after observing Jones land multiple 12-to-6 elbows which were illegal until November 1, 2024. With Hamill unable to continue, Jones was DQ’d, handing him his first and only career loss.
With the straight up-and-down elbows now perfectly legal inside the Octagon, Jon Jones suggested that his loss against Hamill be overturned, giving him back his ‘O’ in the process. However, Hamill proposed a different way to settle things with Jones.
After exiting the UFC, Hamill fought five more times under multiple promotional banners, going 2-3 in the process. He retired in 2018 after scoring a split-decision win against Chris Birchler at Maverick MMA 6 in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
