5 reasons why Jamahal Hill might be the dark horse to watch in the UFC light heavyweight division

#4. Jamahal Hill is a marketable fighter with a ton of confidence

‘Sweet Dreams’ is a highly marketable fighter, meaning he’ll likely receive quite a push from the UFC/

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.

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#3. Jamahal Hill matches up well with some of the other contenders in the division

Jamahal Hill’s skills make him a tricky match for some of the light heavyweight division’s top stars.

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.