from the mount. On August 8, 2011, Matt Hamill decided to step away from the UFC and MMA, as he lost his last two fights. "Today is a sad day for me. After six years and 13 fights in the UFC I'm ready to hang up my gloves and retire from this amazing sport," he said on his official website. Nearly a year later, however, Hamill decided to come out of retirement. Hamill was expected to face UFC newcomer Roger Hollett on September 22, 2012, at UFC 152. However, Hollett was forced out of the bout due to a contract dispute with Bellator and replaced by Vladimir Matyushenko. However, Matyushenko was forced out of the bout after suffering a torn Achilles tendon while training, and was replaced by Hollett, who had settled the issue in time. He won his return fight via unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, and 30–27). Hamill faced Thiago Silva on October 9, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 29. Hamill lost the bout by unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the UFC. World Series of Fighting In May 2014 Hamill signed a deal with World Series of Fighting. He was expected to debut for the promotion later in 2014, however due to nagging injuries, Hamill would retire for the second time in his career. Hamill later decided to return to mixed martial arts and was scheduled to fight against Vinny Magalhães at WSOF 20 on April 10, 2015. However Magalhães was pulled from the bout after a contract dispute with Titan Fighting Championships. Hamill was expected to fight in a rematch against Thiago Silva at WSOF 19 on March 28, 2015, but was forced to withdraw from the competition after a sinus infection. Hamill eventually faced Magalhães at WSOF 24 held on October 17, 2015. He lost the fight via submission in the first round. Independent promotions After his stint in WSOF, Hamill began fighting for various independent promotions. Hamill faced Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou on May 21, 2016, at Venator FC3: Palhares vs. Meek in Italy. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Hamill next faced Julian Marquez on October 14, 2016, at Combate Americas: Empire Rising. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. Following a four-fight losing streak, Hamill earned his first win in over four years when he faced fellow UFC veteran Luiz Cané at Fight 2 Night 2