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Predicting Hill’s downfall might be premature. After all, Hill’s losses have come to Pereira and Jiri Prochazka, and the fight with Rountree has yet to take place. Regardless, Hill enters the contest as the underdog, as his performances in those losses haven’t inspired much confidence that the version of himself that managed to demolish Glover Teixeira with ease still exists.
Breaking down how Hill found himself in his present condition is on the complicated end of things. Hill got a late start in the sport, as he did not make his MMA debut until the age of 26. That may not be on par with Randy Couture’s debut at 33, but it’s a different era. Nevertheless, he was still figuring things out when he touched down in the UFC in January 2020. Given that he wasn’t anywhere near his ceiling at that point, it wasn’t difficult to see where his improvement came at a rapid pace, allowing him to captur the UFC light heavyweight title just three years later at the age of 31. It felt like Hill would be a fixture at the top of the division for a long time.
That was the peak for Hill. Given that the UFC was looking for him to defend against Prochazka, Hill was waiting for the former champion to rehab his shoulder injury. It had forced Prochazka’s vacation from the title a few months before Hill rose to power. Thus, Hill wasn’t scheduled for a defense within the first six months of his reign, focusing instead on promotional activities. During a pickup basketball game at a UFC event for International Fight Week in July 2023, Hill ruptured his Achilles tendon, forcing him to also vacate the title. Given the difficulties of movement with that injury, Hill ballooned up in weight during rehab, with most estimating he was walking around at about 250 pounds—much heavier than his previous walking-around weight. While it isn’t much of a surprise he would put on some weight following that type of injury, it seemed to be excessive, leading many to question Hill’s commitment to his rehabilitation.
Things got worse when Hill was arrested for aggravated domestic violence in November 2023, allegedly assaulting his brother during a family event. Not only were there questions surrounding Hill’s commitment to his rehab, but now there were questions about his personal life. After his rapid rise, it looked like Hill wasn’t able to handle the heat that comes from climbing that close to the sun.
Despite the prevalent questions, Hill managed to secure the coveted main event at UFC 300 upon his return, as he challenged Pereira. While Hill didn’t look like Frank Mir returning from his motorcycle accident, he certainly wasn’t at his peak, losing via knockout in the first round, all while looking softer in the midsection than he had previously. Many gave Hill a pass, as his return was quicker than expected. Unfortunately, Hill looked just as soft in his sophomore effort from the injury, proving sluggish in his contest with Prochazka in January. Hill had some moments and showed plenty of grit, but the consensus was that the lack of preparation before the contest made the likelihood of losing far greater than it would have been if the man viewers were familiar with before his injury had appeared.
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Opinion: Jamahal Hill Giving Off Johny Hendricks Vibes
Ahead of UFC Baku this Saturday in Azerbaijan, Sherdog columnist Dayne Fox sees parallels between the two former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholders.
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