Jamahal Hill enters his first UFC championship fight on the back of likely the biggest win of his career.
Back in August, “Sweet Dreams” took on former UFC title challenger Thiago Santos in the main event of UFC on ESPN 40. It was a meaningful matchup in the light heavyweight division.
Hill (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) almost went the full distance, but in the fourth round closed the show with a nasty TKO. The win improved his streak to three in a row and earned him a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus.
You can watch Hill’s win over Santos in the video above.
Hill returns to the cage on Jan. 21, as he’s set to fight Glover Teixeira for the vacant light heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Teixeira hasn’t competed since losing the belt to Jiri Prochazka at UFC 275 in June. He was supposed to make a return at UFC 282 in December in a title rematch with Prochazka, but the champion was forced to pull out from the fight and relinquish his title after suffering a serious shoulder injury.
Teixeira (33-8 MMA, 16-6 UFC) opted out from taking on Magomed Ankalaev on short notice for vacant title, and the UFC ended up booking Ankalaev against Jan Blachowicz. The two fought to a draw, keeping the 205 title vacant, and thus opening the opportunity for Hill vs. Teixeira.
