Fighter On Fighter: Breaking Down ‘Sweet Dreams!’

Contenders Series product, Jamahal Hill, will battle opposite fast finisher, Johnny Walker, this Saturday (Feb. 19, 2022) at UFC Vegas 48 from UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Hill’s rise to prominence has happened quite quickly, a clear sign of talent. “Sweet Dreams” made his professional debut in 2017, quickly built up an undefeated record (5-0), then earned a UFC contract just two years later. Inside the official Octagon, Hill has essentially won four of five, provided you’re willing to ignore a win overturned because of “goofy” marijuana. Better yet, he’s finishing opponents more often than not. Already, Hill is ranked as the No. 12 contender at 205 pounds, and he has another opportunity to make a big jump forward this weekend.

Let’s first take a closer look at his skill set:

Striking

Hill is definitive proof that even in the modern era of UFC, an athlete with natural gifts requires little more than the fundamentals to really thrive. Hill is 6’4” with a 79-inch reach, so the former basketball player doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel, particularly as a Southpaw.

Strength, size and toughness are great attributes, but alone, they rarely make a top-tier fighter. In his bout vs. Ovince Saint Preux — an athlete with similar physical gifts, but one whose game is a random mix of dangerous moves — Hill showcased that he’s more than mere physical talent (GIF).

For much of the fight, Hill operated from the Southpaw stance, whereas “OSP” switched around, but primarily remained Orthodox. Right away, Hill was working to win the foot battle, lining his own left hand up while getting away from Saint Preux’s power. A simple enough concept, but Hill won lots of exchanges because of his foot position.

Another under-appreciated concept Hill applied well involved attacking the mid-section. He swung his cross for the jaw, sure, but Hill dug his left hand into Saint Preux’s torso a dozen times. As he did so, he slipped his head off the center line towards that aforementioned beneficial angle, making himself difficult to hit and helping set up a right hook to the skull afterward.

The final smart, underutilized fundamental concept Hill applied was answering every kick. Saint Preux is a brutal kicker, and he found some success with the snap kick and outside low kick (when he switched back Southpaw). Any time Hill took a kick, he fired back with at least a cross to the body, often answering with three or four punches.

Again, that sounds simple, but it isn’t easy to accomplish, and answering kicks ensured that “OSP” didn’t start picking up momentum.

Another interesting insight to be gained from the Saint Preux fight was Hill’s foray into Orthodox in the second round. Immediately, he started firing hard one-two combinations down the center, which seemed to really catch his opponent off-guard.

At distance, the right hook is generally a big weapon for Hill, more so than the jab. With his lead hook, Hill will gain the angle to fire his cross. Often, he’ll first look to slap down his foe’s lead hand to land his hook. Against Jimmy Crute, Hill fired the hook on the counter while taking an angle to score an early knockout (GIF). From this check hook, Hill will also use the newly created angle to fire a left kick. Opposite Klidson Abreu, Hill used the right hook to gain an angle and rip a left knee from the clinch, staying in contact with his opponent (GIF).

In general, Hill kicks plenty hard. Against right-handed opponents, Hill likes to snap his kick to the body or throw a round kick upstairs. Alternatively, he’ll dig low kicks vs. fellow Southpaws.

Lastly, Hill has proven to be very powerful in the clinch. After landing big with the left, he’ll often follow up by keeping his hands on his opponent, looking to rip knees and let elbows fly.

Wrestling

Hill has yet to score a takedown inside the Octagon.

Defensively, Hill has only really been tested in his UFC debut, a rather not-so-fun fight versus Darko Stosic. Though Stosic managed to officially score six takedowns, he only racked up a couple minutes on control time in the process, meaning Hill earned the nod as the more effective and active striker.

As for his technical takedown defense skill, Hill pretty standardly fits the mold of most other lanky strikers. Most of the time he’s planted on his butt, it’s because he’s caught standing a bit tall or perhaps his opponent managed to snatch up a kick. At the same time, Hill’s length means that he’s difficult to move around in the clinch, and he’s often able to pull his opponents off his legs when able to lean against the fence.

Crute would’ve been a great test to Hill’s takedown defense, but “Sweet Dreams” knocked him out almost immediately!

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Since Hill has yet to even attempt a submission in UFC or finish one on the regional scene, this section is unfortunately going to be dedicated to Paul Craig dislocating his arm.

Craig is not the usual Light Heavyweight. Hill landed about a single punch, which convinced the Scottish fighter it was time to grapple. His shot failed, so Craig pulled guard, which is hardly a reaction a prospect like Hill has seen all that often.

As a result, Hill made a big mistake. Right away, Craig overhooked both wrists, controlling Hill’s arms. Hill should have fought tooth-and-nail to immediately break those grips, but he relaxed a moment too long, and Crag snapped his arm a moment later.

With an experienced and deadly submission fighter like Craig, the margin for error is thin.

Conclusion

Hill has all the physical gifts one would look for in a future Light Heavyweight contender, and his approach to kickboxing has already proven both intelligent and powerful. If Hill can round out his game, while continuing to develop his standup skills, sky is the limit for “Sweet Dreams.”

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Andrew Richardson, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, is a professional fighter who trains at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California. In addition to learning alongside world-class talent, Andrew has scouted opponents and developed winning strategies for several of the sport’s most elite fighters.

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