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This weekend’s UFC Fight Night event saw rising light-heavyweight prospect Jamahal Hill pick up his biggest win till date, as he secured a fourth-round TKO over former title challenger Thiago Santos.
Hill’s win should move him up the ladder in the 205lbs division, so who should ‘Sweet Dreams’ face off with next?
Given that Santos was ranked at No.6 coming into the bout, there’s every chance that Hill could well be just one fight away from a title shot – so from now on, it should only be big fights for him.
With that in mind, here are five potential opponents for Jamahal Hill following his latest victory.
#5. Jamahal Hill vs. Volkan Oezdemir
Last night’s UFC Fight Night saw Jamahal Hill take out a former light-heavyweight title challenger in the form of Thiago Santos, so could he follow that up by looking to take out another former top contender in Volkan Oezdemir?
‘No Time’ fought for the title back in early 2018 after exploding into the promotion with three straight victories, and while he came up short in his challenge, he’s since settled into a role as a high-end gatekeeper.
Sure, the native of Switzerland hasn’t put together the best record in recent years, going 3-4 in his last seven bouts, but it’s notable that three of the fighters to beat him – Anthony Smith, Dominick Reyes and Jiri Prochazka – later fought for the title.
More to the point, ‘No Time’ is one of only two fighters to beat Aleksandar Rakic, and he also picked up a big win over Paul Craig last month.
When you add in the fact that a bout between Oezdemir and Hill would probably produce some fireworks, given the heavy-handed style of both men, this one could be a logical fight to book for ‘Sweet Dreams’ next.
#4. Jamahal Hill vs. Nikita Krylov
While Jamahal Hill will probably look for a fight with one of the handful of fighters who will likely remain ranked above him after his win over Thiago Santos, another viable opponent for him could be Nikita Krylov.
‘The Miner’ is currently ranked at No.11 in the light-heavyweight division, and last month saw him pick up arguably the biggest win of his octagon career when he knocked out former title challenger Alexander Gustafsson in just over a minute.
Like Volkan Oezdemir, his recent record isn’t the best, as prior to defeating Gustafsson, he lost to both Paul Craig and Magomed Ankalaev.
However, it’s worth noting that Ankalaev is largely seen as the division’s top contender right now, while Craig was also on a great run at the time and remains the only man to defeat Hill inside the octagon.
A fight between Hill and Krylov probably wouldn’t be the first choice for either the UFC or ‘Sweet Dreams’ himself, but if none of the promotion’s other top light-heavyweights are willing to face him next, then ‘The Miner’ would probably work as a stopgap opponent of sorts.
#3. Jamahal Hill vs. Jan Blachowicz
One fight that could be hugely interesting for Jamahal Hill following his win over Thiago Santos would be a clash with former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz.
The Polish star was last seen in a semi-controversial victory over Aleksandar Rakic, winning via TKO when ‘Rocket’ was unable to continue due to a knee injury.
Initial reports suggested that a rematch could be booked, but with Rakic likely to be on the shelf for some time, the former champ currently remains without an upcoming bout.
Given that Blachowicz is one of the most accomplished fighters in the division, with wins over the likes of Dominick Reyes, Corey Anderson and current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, a win over him would be huge for an up-and-comer like ‘Sweet Dreams’.
Could Hill defeat the Polish fighter? It certainly wouldn’t be easy, as Blachowicz remains an excellent striker with a ramrod jab and brutal punching power. However, Hill’s range and speed would definitely give him a good chance.
Essentially, if he’s looking for a title shot in the near future, beating Blachowicz would put him very close to that goal – likely making this a very attractive fight for ‘Sweet Dreams’.
#2. Jamahal Hill vs. Magomed Ankalaev
Following his win over Anthony Smith at UFC 277, there’s every chance that the promotion will award Magomed Ankalaev the next shot at light-heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka. After all, the Dagestani is on a ridiculous nine-fight win streak right now.
However, given that there was some controversy around his win over Smith, who suffered a broken leg in the opening round of the bout, there’s also a chance that the UFC could hold off on a title shot and book a rematch between Prochazka and former champ Glover Teixeira instead.
If they go down that route, then a perfect top contender’s bout would see Ankalaev face off with Jamahal Hill following the latter’s big win over Thiago Santos last night.
Both men have similarly impressive records in the octagon, although Ankalaev’s is more extensive, but more to the point, the clash of styles could also be interesting. How would Hill deal with the stifling wrestling of the Dagestani, and how would Ankalaev deal with the range and punching power of ‘Sweet Dreams’?
Essentially, this fight could well end up being a future UFC light-heavyweight title fight – meaning the promotion may want to avoid booking it for now – but it could also make for an excellent No.1 contender’s clash, making it a viable next fight for Hill.
#1. Jamahal Hill vs. Glover Teixeira
If the UFC decides to grant Magomed Ankalaev a shot at UFC light-heavyweight champ Jiri Prochazka in his next fight – and realistically, they probably should, given his nine-fight win streak – then the most likely opponent for Jamahal Hill would be former titleholder Glover Teixeira.
The Brazilian veteran was last seen in his epic title clash with Prochazka in June, and unsurprisingly given the sheer violence of that bout, he hasn’t been booked into another fight since.
However, he remains ranked at the very top of the division, and therefore, a win over him would mean more than a win over any other fighter at 205lbs right now.
More to the point, this would be a hugely attractive fight for an up-and-comer like ‘Sweet Dreams’ for a couple of reasons. Firstly, nobody really knows how much the fight with Prochazka may have taken out of the Brazilian – meaning he could be more vulnerable in his next fight.
Given that Teixeira is also coming up to 43 years old, there’s every chance that father time might catch up with him at any point too – making him potentially more beatable for an explosive fighter like Hill.
Sure, there’d also be a chance that Teixeira could turn back the challenge of the young lion, but it’d definitely be worth giving him a shot to set him up for a crack at the title – making this the best potential bout for ‘Sweet Dreams’.
