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This past weekend saw Jamahal Hill pick up the biggest win of his UFC career to date, as he knocked out Johnny Walker in the first round of their headline bout.
Following his win over Walker, Hill should clearly be recognised as a fighter to watch at 205 lbs. However, could he be a dark horse in terms of contention for the UFC light heavyweight title?
Right now the light heavyweight division has many viable contenders for Glover Teixeira’s title, but ‘Sweet Dreams’ is almost definitely one to keep a close eye on.
On that note, here are five reasons why Hill could be the dark horse to watch in the UFC light heavyweight division:
#5. Jamahal Hill is about to hit his prime
For a lengthy period during Jon Jones’ reign, the UFC’s light heavyweight division felt like a weight class peopled by old men.
PRIDE veterans such as Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira were still hanging around near the peak of the division. Meanwhile, other older fighters such as Glover Teixeira, Jan Blachowicz and Daniel Cormier also made their way to the top of the rankings.
That has changed in recent years, with younger talents such as Jiri Prochazka and Dominick Reyes breaking through. However, most of the top ten at 205 lbs are still over 30.
One outlier in this sense is Jamahal Hill. ‘Sweet Dreams’ only turned 30 in 2021, and that means he’s probably only just hitting his athletic prime. That’s because fighters in the UFC’s heavier weight classes tend to stick around for longer than their smaller counterparts.
Essentially, then, Hill is almost certainly a fighter who still hasn’t quite hit his peak, and is likely to continue to improve for some time yet.
That means he has got plenty of time on his side to break into title contention, even if he were to suffer another loss like the one to Paul Craig along the way.
#4. Jamahal Hill is a marketable fighter with a ton of confidence
Naturally, for any fighter to succeed inside the UFC these days, they’ve got to one whom the promotion wants to get behind in the first place.
Sure, a fighter can reach the top of the UFC without a great deal of charisma or marketability. However, to do so, they’ve usually got to win a ridiculous amount of fights. Thankfully, Jamahal Hill probably won’t need to do that.
That’s because ‘Sweet Dreams’ is a hugely charismatic and marketable fighter in terms of his style inside the octagon. Moreover, he’s also more than comfortable on the microphone.
Hill has already claimed that he’s got the ‘best hands in the UFC’. Before his 2021 win over Jimmy Crute, he had said that he had never faced an opponent he wasn’t able to touch at will.
Most recently, he responded to a call-out from former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir – who is still ranked at #8 in the division. Hill suggested that the Swiss fighter has brain damage, and that his hands would ‘change his life’.
Considering the same, Jamahal Hill is more than willing to run his mouth to get the match-ups that would advance his cause in the division. That alone gives him a great chance of moving into contention for the UFC light heavyweight title in the near future.
#3. Jamahal Hill matches up well with some of the other contenders in the division
Given that Johnny Walker was ranked #10 before his defeat to Jamahal Hill, it’s likely ‘Sweet Dreams’ could, at worst, supplant the Brazilian’s spot. That means just nine fighters sit between Hill and a shot at the UFC light heavyweight title.
Considering the same, it’s worth looking at how ‘Sweet Dreams’ might match up with some of those contenders. Surprisingly, it’s arguable that he would match up with many of them quite well.
On paper, at least, the ground skills of Magomed Ankalaev might make him a tricky bout for Hill. However, ‘Sweet Dreams’ would definitely stand a good chance of beating the top ten’s striking-based fighters.
More to the point, it’s arguable that Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos, Dominick Reyes and Volkan Oezdemir – and perhaps even former champion Jan Blachowicz – are past their prime now. That means questions could be asked about their durability.
For a fighter with the knockout power of Jamahal Hill, there’s definitely an argument that he could beat any of them. If he were to knock off two of those fighters – or perhaps even one impressively enough – a title shot could well come his way sooner than many would envisaze.
#2. Jamahal Hill’s long reach makes him tricky to fight against
It’s tricky to fully substantiate Jamahal Hill’s claim that he has the ‘best hands in the UFC’. However, it’s definitely fair to say that thus far, his striking has served him well in the octagon. Hill has a total of five UFC victories to his name, discounting a marijuana-based No Contest; impressively, four of them have come via knockout or TKO.
One factor that definitely plays into Hill’s striking skills being so dangerous is his lengthy reach and height. While ‘Sweet Dreams’ can’t quite match former champion Jon Jones in this aspect, he is taller than most of the other fighters in his division, and his 79” reach gives him an advantage over most too.
Current champion Glover Teixeira, for instance, would be at a 3” disadvantage against ‘Sweet Dreams’. Meanwhile, former champion Jan Blachowicz would be at a 1” disadvantage. Hot prospect Magomed Ankalaev only has a 75” reach, as does Volkan Oezdemir. Elsewhere, Dominick Reyes and Aleksandar Rakic don’t measure up to Hill either.
In fact, the only fighter in the UFC’s light heavyweight top ten to hold a reach advantage over Hill is Jiri Prochazka. That might go some way to explaining why his own striking has been so devastating thus far.
Essentially, Hill’s length and reach would make him a tricky match for any fighter in the world at 205 lbs. So his boast that he can touch any opponent he faces probably isn’t that far off. That makes him a genuine threat to the UFC light heavyweight title.
#1. Jamahal Hill carries one-shot knockout power
A fighter needs much more than simple punching power to reach the top of the UFC these days. However, possessing the ability to knock out an opponent in one shot is obviously a pretty huge weapon to possess.
It’s debatable if Hill hits harder than the likes of Jiri Prochazka and Jan Blachowicz. However, it’s definitely fair to say that the former carries brutal knockout power in his hands.
Of his ten career wins, six have come via KO or TKO, including four thus far into his tenure with the UFC. More to the point, though, ‘Sweet Dreams’ isn’t a volume striker who breaks down his opponents gradually. His knockouts of Ovince St. Preux and Jimmy Crute were remarkably brutal, with both men being switched off basically in one punch.
More recently, his finish of Johnny Walker was astonishing. The right hand that sent the Brazilian crashing into the fence didn’t even appear to land cleanly, instead connecting largely with the side of Walker’s head.
Any fighter who can take out an opponent in this way with one single shot can never truly be counted out of a fight, even if they seem overmatched in all other areas.
Considering the same, it’s difficult not to see Jamahal Hill as a dark horse to fight for the UFC light heavyweight title – if not win it – in the near future.
