Hartwell-based fighter Cee Jay Hamilton will be fighting in his first main-card event with Bellator MMA, on Friday night.
Hamilton will be fighting in the bantamweight bout of Bellator 262 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut on July 16 at 9 p.m.
Hamilton has a 15-8 professional record, but this is his second fight with Bellator, one of the largest combat sport promotions in the world.
Hamilton lost to a choke move by Russian fighter Magomed Magomedov in his first Bellator bout on April 2. However, Hamilton’s coach Chuck Cawthon said they had to take the fight on a short notice and with Hamilton fighting a weight class higher than normal to secure the Bellator contract for multiple fights.
“We knew going into that first fight that he was going to be really light and that showed to be true,” Cawthon said. “He was very much the smaller guy in the last fight.”
Since his first fight, Hamilton has been trying to add size and strength to fight more comfortably in the 135 -pound weight class.
“Since his last fight, he started hitting the weights and started to try to put on some muscle,” Cawthon said. “We have had only a short amount of time to try to get a little bit stronger and put on some weight to compete with these bigger boys.”
For his second fight, he will be facing Matheus Mattos, a 29-year-old fighter from Brazil. Mattos also lost to Magomedov in his last fight in December, 2020.
Cawthon described Mattos as a “strong, powerful” striker and “no slouch on the ground.” He said that all the fighters at this level are well-rounded.
“He is really, really good. He is aggressive,” Cawthon said. “He trains with one of the Bellator champions at his camp.”
Hamilton was given a 21-day notice before this fight, but after factoring in a week for cutting weight, not a lot of time is left for Hamilton to prepare for the fight.
“You’re not really ‘training’ training,” Cawthon said. “You’re losing a little bit strength. You’re losing a little bit of muscle because you’re trying to get down in weight.”
Cawthon said at this level of professional fighting, they have be prepared year-round.
“You have to stay ready,” Cawthon said. “When you get big organizations like Bellator and the UFC, there’s no such thing as a ‘fight camp’ or a season. you got to be ready whenever they call.”
Hamilton’s fight will be available for streaming on Showtime’s streaming network at 9 p.m. on July 16. Showtime offers a 30-day free trial and rates of $4.99 after the first 30 days if you sign up at sho.com/bellator-mma.