Uncasville, CT — CeeJay Hamilton is in Bellator MMA, and not a soul can take that away from him.
Although 0-1 with the promotion, Hamilton is coming off of what he considers to be the biggest blessing of his lengthy career. That, a short notice opportunity against the highly touted Magomed Magomedov.
“My debut was Magomed Magomedov, one of the best things that ever happened to me,” Hamilton told Cageside Press at this week’s Bellator 262 media day. “He gave me his best, now I know what the best in the world feels like. Gives me something to gauge off of, let’s me know where I can be at,” Hamilton continued. “It was a blessing in disguise for me.”
Hamilton is coming into his sophomore campaign in Bellator against a man who also was defeated in his debut opposite Magomedov, Matheus Mattos. Hamilton believes he can use both his own, and his opponent’s fight with Magomedov to help study, but he also recognizes that this is a completely different fight.
“Styles make fights,” Hamilton stated. “Magomed did some things to me that he didn’t do to Matheus. It’ll show in the fight Friday, my studying, which coaches are the masterminds and who is the better fighter. He [Magomedov] could have been dealing something when he fought me or fought Matheus.”
Hamilton describes his career thus far as a long journey.
“It has been a long consistent journey,” Hamilton said on his career. “It’s hard to be consistent when the cards are stacked up against you. I’ve fought some of the best guys who weren’t in the UFC and are in the UFC. Nothing wrong looking in the past seeing where I came from, the competition I’ve fought.”
Watch the full Bellator 262 media day interview with CeeJay Hamilton above. The event takes place Friday, July 16 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.
