Jamahal Hill wants “biggest money fight” upon UFC return
Jamahal Hill brought UFC light heavyweight gold back to the Midwest MMA scene in January 2023, only to have his title reign halted by an Achilles injury just six months later.
Jamahal Hill has been out of competition since, and will likely get a chance to reclaim the gold he never lost upon his return to the Octagon.
Alex Pereira won the vacant light heavyweight title after moving up from middleweight, where he competed in back-to-back outings against Israel Adesanya before knocking out Jiri Prochazka in November at UFC 295.
Jamahal Hill wants the biggest fight possible when returning to the UFC
Hill was present for the fight, which took place at Madison Square Garden, and said the fan reception was heavily favored toward the Brazilian.
”I didn’t have a preference [on who won the UFC 295 co-main event] until I actually realized how big of a star Alex Pereira is,” Jamahal Hill said on the Overdogs Podcast. “Whenever they showed him on the screen versus when they showed Jiri [Prochazka], it was very, very clear who the money fight is.”
Jamahal Hill said that since he will receive pay-per-view points when he returns to the UFC, he wants as much of the pie as possible.
”I want the biggest money fight,” Jamahal Hill added.
Hill said he felt disrespected because of his inactivity, which included his removal from the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings and not being ranked inside the top-10 after his UFC 283 title victory.
Hill became the first fighter in DWCS history to win UFC gold, which was followed up by Sean O’Malley seven months later.
“That’s all it is,” Hill said when referencing the rankings. “It’s a popularity contest.”
Hill has competed in the UFC since July 2019, going 6-1(1 NC) with his lone defeat coming against Paul Craig in June 2021.
Hill currently rides a four-fight winning streak and his next fight remains to be seen.
Who do you think Jamahal Hill should fight next and should it be for a UFC world title?