At the post Ultimate Fighter Finale press conference it was revealed that the large spot on Matt Hamill's back was staph infection. He also revealed that in the first round of his fight with Keith Jardine he broke his hand. And of course there was the nasty accidental eye poke in the second round that caused some blurry vision for Jardine.

For him to be able to compete for three rounds was impressive. For him to be able to win the fight despite all of these conditions is a testament to what a tough and talented fighter he is. And for him to be allowed into the cage with staph infection is a failure on the part of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

From MMA Junkie:

"I have a staph infection," Hamill said. "I'll get put on antibiotics tomorrow."



Following the evening's press conference, Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he was aware of Hamill's condition prior to the bout. Kizer said that a licensed doctor had viewed the wound on Friday. After weighing the potential risks to both Hamill and Jardine, the doctor cleared "The Hammer" to fight.

So Hamill had staph and was not yet on antibiotics and the NSAC decided that it was a good idea to let him fight? The doctor is aware of how incredibly contagious staph is, right?

Furthermore, it was not a situation that only impacted Jardine and Hamill. They were not the only ones fighting and once the mat became contaminated it would take serious disinfection measures to be safe for other fighters.

Someone at the NSAC has to explain exactly how these decisions were made and if Jardine, Court McGee or Kris McCray come down with an infection the commission should be held 100% responsible.

Photo of the infection after the jump...

via Esther Lin (MMA Fighting)



