Tag: Jamahal Hill

Manager: Injured Jamahal Hill will return to UFC title shot but timeline still unclear

Jamahal Hill is at the front of the line to fight for the UFC light heavyweight title, but he needs to get healthy first.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] is at the front of the line to fight for the UFC light heavyweight title, but he needs to get healthy first.

Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) previously held the 205-pound championship but was forced to vacate in July after he suffered a torn Achilles tendon. A new champion was finally crowned at UFC 295 in November, when Alex Pereira earned a second-round TKO of Jiri Prochazka.

After undergoing surgery to repair the damage, Hill, 32, has vocalized hopes for mid-2024 return to the octagon. His manager, Brian Butler from SuckerPunch Entertainment, didn’t rule out that timeline, but also said nothing firm is in place at this point.

“He’s coming along well,” Butler told MMA Junkie Radio. “I am not a doctor and I am not in a position to speak as to how quickly he can come back, and I think it’s a little preemptive now to put any dates on that. But his goal is to come back in and around that time (of International Fight Week). But I just don’t know. But I do know he’s working hard. He’s moved to Vegas and he’s staying there to utilize the (UFC Performance Institute) and the services there with the outstanding team there that is helping him recover.”

Hill has expressed his desire for a matchup with Pereira upon his return to the octagon. Although Pereira, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie light heavyweight rankings, is arguably the most lethal standup fighter on the UFC roster, No. 2-ranked Hill thinks he can knock the Brazilian out and reclaim his belt and top ranking.

It remains to be seen, however, if Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) will remain on top during Hill’s absence. Pereira has teased a potential title defense at UFC 300 in April, which would mean the chance someone else takes the strap before Hill gets his opportunity.

No matter who holds the belt, though, Butler said Hill will be first option once his recovery is complete.

“No (there won’t be a warmup fight),” Butler said. “He gets a title shot right away.”

24 fights on our 2024 MMA wish list: Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones (still), Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 3, more

Here’s MMA Junkie’s 24-fight wishlist for the new year.

2023 didn’t disappoint in terms of great MMA action, and 2024 looks just as promising, if not more.

With 2024 underway, there’s a new year of fresh possibilities for dream matchups across the MMA landscape, from the UFC to Bellator, PFL, RIZIN FF, ONE Championship and more.

For 2023, unfortunately, only four of the 23 dream fights MMA Junkie wished for came to fruition. We’re not deterred, however, and are back with another slate of 24 matchups we aspire to see in 2024.

Below, we present MMA Junkie’s wish list of 24 fights we’d like to see in 2024.

Ex-NFL All-Pro Shawne Merriman: Jamahal Hill’s recovery from Achilles injury ‘easier’ in MMA than football

Shawne Merriman reveals advice he gave to former UFC champ Jamahal Hill on Achilles injury.

Former NFL star [autotag]Shawne Merriman[/autotag] knows a thing or two about Achilles injuries, and when he heard former UFC champion [autotag]Jamhal Hill[/autotag] ruptured his, there was plenty of advice to offer.

Merriman is best known for his achievements on the gridiron, but for nearly two decades, he has been around the fight business, and is currently the promoter of Lights Out Xtreme MMA, which returns on Jan. 6 in Long Beach, Calif.

In July, Hill relinquished his light heavyweight title after he ruptured his Achilles tendon during a pickup basketball game with other MMA fighters. Merriman caught word of the news, and connected with Hill to offer advice from his own experience with the same injury.

“I’ve reached out to Jamahal Hill, and I was walking him through the process on what he should do, how many times he should work out, what he should be taking to speed up the process, as far as all your fish oils – I’ve been through it,” Merriman told MMA Junkie. “You know, which doctors for therapy to go see.

“… So the first thing when I saw Jamahal Hill tear his Achilles, I reached out and said, ‘Dude, go see this person.’ Do this, do that, because somebody like that with that level of talent, we can’t wait to see him back in the cage.”

After being released by the San Diego Chargers in 2010, Merriman dealt with his own Achilles issues. He was picked up by the Buffalo Bills, but landed on the injured reserve list twice due to the injury, the second of which ended his 2011 season.

Merriman believes the road to recovery from an Achilles injury is easier for an MMA athlete than for football players due to the differences in training methods and activity schedules.

“It’s easier in MMA and I’ll tell you why: Because you can go at your own pace,” Merriman explained. “If you start training, you go through camp, you can back off any point in time you want. If you don’t feel great that day, you can back off. In football, it’s 22 weeks. When Sunday comes around, you are going. I don’t care how you feel. So I think in football it’s a lot different. Also, you’re wearing cleats, the explosion, cutting, pushing off of that thing, someone else pushing up against you.

“Jamahal Hill will be completely fine. He’ll come back, you won’t even notice a difference in what he’s doing. That’s why his injury is going to be fine when he comes back.”

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UFC in 2023: A ridiculously robust look at the stats, streaks, skids and record-setters

Check out a full recap of 2023’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2023’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

Police report reveals accounts of Jamahal Hill’s arrest, alleged assault of brother

Former UFC light heavyweight Jamahal Hill was recently arrested in Michigan after accusations he “dazed” his brother with two punches.

More details have surfaced regarding the arrest of former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] and the allegations of an assault of his brother.

According to a Kentwood Police Department (Mich.) police report acquired Tuesday by MMA Junkie, Hill’s brother reported an assault Nov. 25. Police made contact with Hill’s brother at a local emergency room and gathered details of the alleged attack. The redacted police report can be read here. MMA Fighting first reported the details.

The alleged dispute stemmed from an argument over whether or not Hill’s sister-in-law was to be paid $300 for cleaning Hill’s vacant home. The dispute eventually transitioned into other, more personal subject matter, according to the report, as Hill’s brother called Hill out for not texting his own daughter on Thanksgiving and “being disrespectful to women.”

That’s when a shirtless Hill allegedly “sucker punched” his brother twice in the face, while also shoving a female witness. Hill’s brother claimed both punches knocked him down with the second one leaving him “dazed.”

Hill’s brother also claimed he was conflicted about contacting police because “Jamahal is his brother, and he didn’t want to ruin Jamahal’s fighting career.”

An unidentified witness corroborated the account of the physical altercation and said Hill’s brother was “speaking truth” during their argument.

Police observed injuries to Hill’s brother including a swollen face and eye, as well as a chipped tooth. Police later arrested Hill without incident. He was charged with one misdemeanor count of domestic violence.

Hill briefly spoke about his arrest in a recent YouTube video, though limitedly due to the ongoing nature of the legal proceedings.

“At this time, it’s an open case,” Hill said. “I’ve been advised not to speak on it, which I know not to speak on it. I just can’t wait for the truth to be told in court. I will wait for that day, and I look forward to that day.

“The people who know me and know my character and truly, truly rock with me and know who I am, hold on to that and stay true to that. That’s all I’m gonna say on that.”

According to online records, Hill is due back in court Jan. 22.

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Hill last fought in January, when he won the vacant light heavyweight championship against Glover Teixeira in the UFC 283 headliner. In an unfortunate turn of events, Hill tore his Achilles tendon while taking part in a pickup basketball game with fellow UFC fighters during International Fight Week in July. As a result, Hill vacated the title.

Hill is expected to return to action in the first half of 2024 and could jump right into a title shot against recently crowned champion Alex Pereira.

Former UFC champ Jamahal Hill optimistic about domestic violence case involving brother

Former UFC champion Jamahal Hill is looking forward to having his day in court after a dispute with his brother led to his arrest.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] is looking forward to having his day in court.

Hill, 32, is facing one misdemeanor count of aggravated domestic violence after he allegedly injured his brother during a physical altercation in Michigan. No details about what happened have been released by the Kentwood Police Department, which arrested Hill.

This past weekend on his YouTube channel, Hill addressed what he characterized as a “situation that happened while I was back home in Michigan visiting for the holidays” and indicated he looks forward to having his name cleared.

“At this time, it’s an open case,” Hill said. “I’ve been advised not to speak on it, which I know not to speak on it. I just can’t wait for the truth to be told in court. I will wait for that day, and I look forward to that day.

“The people who know me and know my character and truly, truly rock with me and know who I am, hold on to that and stay true to that. That’s all I’m gonna say on that.”

According to online records, Hill is due back in court Jan. 22.

Hill last fought in January, when he won the vacant light heavyweight championship against Glover Teixeira in the UFC 283 headliner. In an unfortunate turn of events, Hill tore his Achilles tendon while taking part in a pickup basketball game with fellow UFC fighters this past July during International Fight Week in July. As a result, Hill vacated the title.

Hill is expected to return to action in the first half of 2024 and could jump right into a title shot against recently crowned champion Alex Pereira.

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Former UFC champion Jamahal Hill arrested, charged after allegedly injuring brother

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill was arrested in Michigan on a misdemeanor charge after he allegedly injured his brother.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] was arrested Monday and charged with one misdemeanor count of aggravated domestic violence, according to the Kent County (Mich.) Sheriff’s Office.

TMZ, which first reported the news, says the alleged violence took place against Hill’s brother, who suffered “serious or aggravated injury” as a result.

Kent County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the arrest to MMA Junkie on Friday, but could not provide further details. The Kentwood (Mich.) Police Department, the arresting agency, has yet to respond to detail inquiry.

Hill’s manager, Brian Butler, of Sucker Punch Entertainment, released a statement shortly after news of the arrest broke Friday and maintained his client’s innocence.

“Jamahal adamantly maintains his innocence and denies the false accusations,” Butler wrote on X, the social media network formerly known as Twitter. “We will not be commenting anymore about this until the truth comes out in court.

According to online records, Hill is due back in court Jan. 22.

Hill, 32, has not fought since January, when he won the light heavyweight title against Glover Teixeira in the UFC 283 headliner. He then vacated the title in July after he suffered an Achilles tendon tear in a UFC fighters pickup basketball game during International Fight Week in Las Vegas. He has been expected to make a return to action in the first half of 2024.

UFC champ Alex Pereira scoffs at Jamahal Hill’s KO prediction: ‘He will go on the ground, as well’

Alex Pereira expects Jamahal Hill to resort to grappling like most of his past opponents.

UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] expects [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] to resort to grappling like most of his past opponents.

At UFC 295, Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) knocked out Jiri Prochazka to claim the vacant light heavyweight title that Hill relinquished after he ruptured his Achilles tendon. Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) is expected to challenge Pereira for the title in his return, and “Poatan” suggests he might be his most favorable matchup at 205 pounds.

“I think I proved myself in the light heavyweight division with the fight against Jiri, winning the title, and obviously as well with the fight against Jan Błachowicz,” Pereira said on his YouTube channel through an interpreter.

“If I would compare these three fighters – Jamahal, Jan and Jiri – and someone would tell me, like, ‘Hey, choose one you would like to fight,’ I would choose Jamahal because I think he’s a good opponent for me.”

Hill vowed to put Pereira to sleep when they fight. However, the former two-division Glory Kickboxing champion doubts the fight stays on the feet for too long.

“I think it’s just a little bit over or too much, as well, looking at my story, my history in kickboxing to say I will stand striking, and I will knock him out and whatever,” Pereira continued.

“Because finally all the people are always trying it, and I’m sure he wants to strike, but when he sees it’s not working, he will go on the ground, as well, and this is what happened in the other fights too. I think Jamahal is a good fight for me, and I think he was a little bit over with his statement.”

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Jan Blachowicz picks Alex Pereira to beat Jamahal Hill: ‘Sometimes it’s hard coming back in great shape’

Former UFC champ Jan Blachowicz thinks the long layoff will likely impact Jamahal Hill vs. Alex Pereira.

[autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] thinks the long layoff will likely impact [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].

Many expect Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) to get the next shot at newly crowned light heavyweight champion Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who stopped Jiri Prochazka by knockout Nov. 11 to claim the vacant belt at UFC 295.

Having lost to Pereira in a close decision he thought he won, Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) gives “Poatan” the edge over Hill, who will return from an achilles tendon rupture that required surgery.

“We’ll see how he’s going to feel after the injury because sometimes it’s hard coming back in great shape,” Blachowicz told Middle Easy. “You still got something in the back of your head that you have surgery and you’re coming back. You don’t know how your leg is going to feel. So, I don’t know. In this moment, I would put my money on Pereira.”

Blachowicz is eager to run things back with Pereira. If he can get past Aleksandar Rakic in their rematch at UFC 297 on Jan. 20, he hopes to emerge as the No. 1 contender.

“If Pereira will fight against Jamahal Hill and he’s going to win, and I believe that I’m going to win against Rakic, so this rematch, they have to give it to me because our fight was split decision, and I believe the referee gave a bad decision,” Blachowicz said. “So, they have to give me this rematch.”

Blachowicz is even willing to be a reserve for the title fight between Pereira and Hill.

“I can be backup fighter, no problem,” Blachowicz said. “You just sit over there waiting, watch the fight, and they give you some money. So, why not?”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.

Jamahal Hill hopes to fight ‘stud’ UFC interim champ Tom Aspinall someday

Jamahal Hill is eyeing a future showdown with new UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] is eyeing a future showdown with new UFC interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].

Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) needed just 69 seconds to knock out Sergei Pavlovich this past Saturday at UFC 295 to claim the interim heavyweight title at Madison Square Garden.

Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who’s on a quest to regain his light heavyweight title, sees himself moving up to heavyweight in the future and would love the possibility of fighting Aspinall.

“I think Tom is a stud. I think Tom is like the new prototype of what heavyweights are,” Hill told TNT Sports after UFC 295. “I definitely want to do my thing at 205 and go up and eventually see him too. So, Tom, get ready for me, baby – someday. I think he has great movement. I think his coaches focus on a lot of good things, the right things to give him an edge in this game.

“A lot of them have the same philosophy as my coaches have and employ with me and things like that. I think he’s definitely built the right way, the way fighters should be built. It’s exciting. I’m game. I’m always game. Any time I see somebody exciting or new, or they’re bringing something fresh to the cage, I want to test myself against that.”

Hill relinquished his 205-pound title after rupturing his achilles tendon. He watched Alex Pereira knock out Jiri Prochazka to claim the vacant belt, and he expects to fight him next once he heals from his injury.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.