MFC 38's Anthony Hamilton: Training at Jackson-Winkeljohn camp honed striking

A look up and down Anthony Hamilton‘s resume makes one thing stand out.

Early on, there are a lot of the number “3? in the “Round” column, followed by a lot of “5:00? for the “Time” column. But in his most recent four fights, all wins? They’re all “1? – and then some really small numbers after that.

Hamilton (10-2) has shut down four straight opponents, three of them courtesy of his hands, in seven seconds, 38 seconds, 97 seconds and, most recently, a fight that didn’t even hit the halfway point of the first.

Those four wins combined don’t add up to one full round in the cage, clocking in at 4:36 of action, let alone the 15-minute battles he had when he was starting his pro career in 2010 and 2011.

So what’s the difference? The heavyweight, who trains at Jackson-Winkeljohn’s MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., said it’s been all about honing his striking game thanks to his teammates at the gym and coach Mike Winkeljohn.

“I was just more of a grappler (early in my career),” Hamilton told MMAjunkie.com Radio. “That was my base, and I just relied on that to get those early victories. But the last couple years, I’ve been training striking a lot, and it’s just really come together.”

That may wind up being a problem for Smealinho Rama (6-0), whom Hamilton meets tonight at Maximum Fighting Championship’s “MFC 38: Behind Enemy Lines” card, which takes place at Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The main card, featuring three title fights, including Hamilton vs. Rama for the heavyweight belt, airs live on AXS TV.

When he’s training in Albuquerque, along with Winkeljohn, Hamilton often works with a who’s-who of big fighters – in size, as well as stature.

“Ihave great training partners like Travis Browne, Jon Jones, Andrei Arlovski – guys like this that are world-class,” Hamilton said. “When you train with guys like that, it takes your game to another level. Every time I’m in Albuquerque, I get a little bit of time to work with Wink one-on-one. But I’m working with these other training partners who are amazing.”

After starting his career 6-0, Hamilton ran into a pair of road blocks in 2012 when he was knocked out by Walter Harris and submitted by Fabiano Scherner.

But on his four-fight streak, he believes he’s hitting his stride. It’s a stride he’s hoping to ride to an MFC title against one of Canada’s most highly touted heavyweights.

“I feel great. Everything’s going pretty well,” he said. “I think the difference is I’m getting a little bit more experience and getting a little bit more comfortable and confident when I’m in there each time. I’ve got a great team around me, great coaches and so forth. So everything’s just been clicking, and I’m just riding it.

“It’s really just from training every day and training hard. The confident level just feels hight right now, and I’m real comfortable every time I step in there.”

For the latest on MFC 38, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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