Jamahal Hill feels Jiri Prochazka got jumped ahead for his UFC title shot, so why shouldn’t he get the same?
Jamahal Hill knows that while he does not have the overall MMA experience of current UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka, he has more UFC tenure than the 205-pound titleholder. With that, Hill feels what was good for Prochazka — getting a UFC title shot without a substantial number of UFC fights — should be good for him.
“We’ve seen it before,” Hill said on The MMA Hour. “That’s how [Jiri] got the belt. He jumped [the line] and got the belt. Go down a weight class, Alex Pereira [fighting Israel Adesanya]. That’s not a jump? Everybody else is getting jumped around. Why not jump ‘Sweet Dreams’ around?”
Hill picked up the fifth win of his UFC career on Saturday with a fourth-round TKO victory over former title challenger Thiago Santos. Prochazka’s title shot came after knockout wins over two ex-UFC light heavyweight title challengers, Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes.
One enormous difference between Hill and Prochazka is overall experience. Prochazka came to the UFC with a 26-3-1 record and a stint as the Rizin light heavyweight champion. The 29-year-old Prochazka turned pro in 2012.
Hill’s professional MMA career began in 2017. He earned his UFC contract with a TKO win on a 2019 Dana White Contender Series card. Hill’s career record stands at 11-1-0-1.
The 31-year-old Hill sees himself as a good matchup for the current UFC 205-pound kingpin.
“I feel like I match up with Jiri phenomenally,” Hill said. “I feel like that would be a phenomenal fight, and I feel like I could take that fight. I feel like that would be a great fight. It’s a great showing. I feel like it would be very marketable.”
Hill, who jumped to No. 6 in the official UFC light heavyweight rankings with is win over Santos, is not the only one lobbying for the next shot at Prochazka. The man Prochazka toppled for the title, Glover Teixeira, and the fighter Teixeira took the belt from, Jan Blachowicz, have also publicly stated they want the next title fight.
With no contracts signed for the next fight for UFC light heavyweight gold, Hill is shooting his shot.
“S—t, if you want another option out there, I’m going to put myself out there as another option,” Hill said. “I don’t know what’s going on with them. I don’t know what everybody’s health is like, but I’m just going to put it out there and say I’m ready to fight. I’m ready to go. Even if it’s for the title, I’m ready to go.”