Jamahal Hill open to waiting for Jiri Prochazka as his first title defense if he beats Glover Teixeira at UFC 283: “I want that fight”

Jamahal Hill is hopeful Jiri Prochazka can return to action this summer.

Prochazka was supposed to defend his light heavyweight title against Glover Teixeira in December but had to pull out of the fight and vacate the belt due to a major shoulder injury.

With that, the promotion held a vacant title fight between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 282, but that ended in a draw. So, in the main event of UFC 283, the belt is back up for grabs as Hill takes on Teixeira. If Hill wins, he says he wants his first title defense to be against Prochazka as that is a fight he’s wanted for quite some time.

“It’s not a secret, I’ve been calling for Jiri for years. I’ve been wanting Jiri for years. Even kind of listening to Glover talk this week and he references back to Jiri. I want that fight,” Hill said at UFC 283 media day.

The one potential issue for Hill to have his first title defense against Prochazka, is the fact it’s still uncertain how long the former champ is out. Prochazka has said he will be back in a few months, which Hill is hopeful for as he believes the summertime would be perfect for him to take on Prochazka.

“It depends on how long. He said he could be back as early as six months. Summer. I’ll wait for that or next man up. It’s next man up,” Hill added.

If Jamahal Hill does beat Glover Teixeira, a title fight against Jiri Prochazka would be very fan-friendly as both are primary strikers. It’s also a fight that could headline a pay-per-view card, but it all depends on Hill winning on Saturday and Prochazka being able to return by the summer.

Hill enters his UFC 283 title fight being 5-1 and one No Contest in the UFC and is riding a three-fight winning streak.

Who do you think would win, Jamahal Hill or Jiri Prochazka?