5 biggest takeaways from UFC on ESPN+ 24: What to think of Curtis Blaydes as a legit contender

Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Raleigh, where Curtis Blaydes made a statement. But was it big enough?

4. Angela Hill finding her form

[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] is not even recognizable to the fighter who made her official UFC debut with a 1-0 professional record in December 2014. It’s taken more than five years of fine-tuning her craft and two stints in the UFC, but finally Hill has managed to put together a two-fight winning streak inside the octagon.

It may not sound like much, because fighters win consecutive bouts in the UFC all the time. But Hill was thrown onto the sport’s biggest stage early, though, and as essentially just a muay Thai fighter was tossed into the deep end. Hill fought some of the very best from the outset, and the results did not go her way.

Hill never complained about her path, though. She’s kept her head down and worked hard, taking unrealistic challenges and stepping up for the UFC on short notice any time she was needed. The results of that effort are staring to pay dividends, because Hill’s second-round TKO of Hannah Cifers gave her consecutive stoppage wins for the first time.

Can Hill parlay this momentum into something bigger in the strawweight division? Her next performances will tell the tale. But if it’s going to happen, it seems “Overkill” is fitting the pieces of the puzzle together better than ever.

[jwplayer xltZuNHk-RbnemIYZ]