Tag: Jamahal Hill

Hill: Covington Went Against His Own Persona By Pressing Charges

UFC light heavyweight contender Jamahal Hill has given his take on Colby Covington’s decision to press charges against arch-rival Jorge Masvidal. If anyone thought the rivalry between former friends Covington and Masvidal had been squashed with their fight at UFC 272, they were sorely mistaken. Weeks after “Chaos” secured victory on the scorecards, the pair’s…

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UFC light heavyweight contender Jamahal Hill has given his take on Colby Covington’s decision to press charges against arch-rival Jorge Masvidal.

If anyone thought the rivalry between former friends Covington and Masvidal had been squashed with their fight at UFC 272, they were sorely mistaken.

Weeks after “Chaos” secured victory on the scorecards, the pair’s feud hit the streets. Masvidal was reported to have sucker-punched his former teammate from outside the Papi Steak Restaurant in Miami. Following the alleged attack, which appeared to leave Covington with a chipped tooth, “Gamebred” was arrested and charged with felony battery and criminal mischief.

In a video he posted after the incident, Masvidal cited the insults Covington said regarding his family as justification for the attack. Some believe that Covington’s insulting and controversial persona means he has to be prepared to back up his words in person, with the likes of Jake Paul slamming “Chaos” for pressing charges.

Others criticized the ‘BMF’ titleholder for blind-siding his former roommate and ATT training partner, especially given the fact he had 25 minutes in a cage with him at UFC 272. The latest to give their view of the incident is Jamahal Hill, who seemingly falls on the former side of the debate.

Hill: Covington Shouldn’t Talk Trash If He Can’t Handle The Consequences

During a recent interview with MMA Fight Club, Hill, the current #10-ranked UFC light heavyweight, assessed the incident. While he believes Covington had every right to press charges, the 30-year-old believes it directly contrasts the persona “Chaos” has created in the UFC.

“That whole situation, I get it bro. Colby was well within his rights to press charges, all this and that. But for me, that takes a shot at the type of persona that he tries to portray,” said Hill. “Cause like, you press charges? You call the police? Here you are, ‘Oh, such and such is a b*tch, ooh, this and that, he don’t take care of his family…’ Like, you just did that, mother*cker. You call everybody the f*ck out.”

According to Hill, once Covington made the decision to develop a trash-talking persona, which has seen him criticized for comments made towards the families of both Masvidal and Kamaru Usman, the former interim champion had to be ready to handle “what comes with that.”

“But part of that, you gotta (take) what comes with that. You gotta be able to handle what comes with that. If you’re gonna play that type of persona, if you’re gonna talk like that, you gotta be able to handle what comes with that,” concluded Hill.

According to MMA Junkie Masvidal entered a written not guilty plea to the charge. An arraignment hearing has been scheduled for later this month.

Do you agree with Jamahal Hill’s take on Colby Covington’s decision to press charges?

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Jamahal Hill Names Biggest Motivation Behind MMA Career

Jamahal “Sweet Dreams” Hill fights for more than just scoring victories and chasing championship belts. Every fighter has a reason for wanting to start a career in professional combat sports. Whether it’s to overcome mental and financial struggles or to become the best in the world, it takes strong motivation to enter the realm of…

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Jamahal “Sweet Dreams” Hill fights for more than just scoring victories and chasing championship belts.

Every fighter has a reason for wanting to start a career in professional combat sports. Whether it’s to overcome mental and financial struggles or to become the best in the world, it takes strong motivation to enter the realm of breaking faces.

And for the #10-ranked UFC light heavyweight, the livelihood of the people around him is why he fights today.

In an interview with MMA Fight Club, Hill explains that his sole goal for being a pro MMA fighter is to build something his friends and family can benefit from:

“My whole goal, my whole thing, my whole focus in life, is to build a foundation. I focus on building a foundation so that whenever I’m gone, my kids and my people are straight, my people are taken care of. And then not only that, my people know how to take care of themselves, you know? I grew up around struggle… It’s ridiculous to me for the simple fact of, money is not hard to get if you apply yourself, if you focus and put your mind to it. I always knew I was going to be in this position.”

“Sweet Dreams” will ensure no one in his corner will suffer the hardships he endured prior to becoming an MMA sensation.

Hill devastated his last two opponents with brutal punches to knock them out in the first round and thus return to the winner’s circle after suffering a nasty loss to
Paul Craig last June.

Jamahal Hill knocks out Jimmy Walker at UFC Fight Night 201, Photo credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

In his 11 fights, he accrued only one loss and one No Contest. Undoubtedly, the 6 knockouts and 10 wins are proof that he takes his goal seriously.

What are your thoughts on Jamahal Hill’s motivation behind his MMA career?

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How Far Can Jamahal Hill Go In The Light Heavyweight Division?

Dressed to the nines in a white tux, red tie, and shades, Jamahal Hill rocked up to the UFC Vegas 48 post-fight press conference in style to deliver a message. Having just achieved the biggest win of his career over Johnny Walker, Hill, with his similarly attired son sitting next to him, wanted the assembled…

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Dressed to the nines in a white tux, red tie, and shades, Jamahal Hill rocked up to the UFC Vegas 48 post-fight press conference in style to deliver a message. Having just achieved the biggest win of his career over Johnny Walker, Hill, with his similarly attired son sitting next to him, wanted the assembled press to know one thing—that they should start believing, because he’s the real deal.

“It’s time to start having a different kind of conversation, because you all are asking the wrong questions about me,” Hill told press. “‘Where’s he going next? How good am I for real?’ Stop doubting. Start believing, ‘cause it’s for real.”

Despite knocking out almost every opponent placed before him in his young career, Hill feels that he’s underappreciated—by the UFC and the press. The 30-year-old believes he’s been denied the fanfare lavished upon the UFC’s other top prospects.

Jamahal Hill
Jamahal Hill, and his son, at the the UFC Vegas 48 post-fight press conference. PHOTO: MMA JUNKIE

“The spotlight isn’t shining on me like it is on other people,” Hill said in 2021. “Which is cool. You know what I mean? ‘Cause at the end of the day, what I can do, my abilities, you can’t ignore it.”

And ignore them you can’t. By knocking Johnny Walker out on his feet with an early frontrunner for KO of the year, Jamahal showed why he should be touted as a future title contender. Now in the light heavyweight top ten, he plans on doing the same to the division’s best.

“I feel like the division is a little tired,” Hill told the press after his victory over Walker. “Some guys need some naps.” 

A Future champion or Another ‘Johnny Walker?’

Hill, the self-proclaimed “best boxer in the UFC”, isn’t short on confidence. But the Michigan native, who only made his professional MMA debut just over four years ago, has so far backed it up. Entering the UFC via the Contender Series in early 2020, Hill has earned five KOs in six fights (one, however, was later ruled a no-contest after he tested positive for marijuana). 

Hill’s only loss, and perhaps the biggest asterisk against his future potential, was that to jiu-jitsu specialist Paul Craig, who submitted him within two minutes, dislocating his arm in the process. Humbled, Hill admitted to learning a powerful lesson, attributing the loss to his “flat-out arrogance” heading into the fight.

Jamahal Hill
Jamahal Hill Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Clearly, much like Johnny Walker early in his UFC career, Hill has relied on his spectacular KO power to end fights early. But will ‘Sweet Dreams’ similarly stumble against the division’s best? Or can he become champ?

According to former UFC lightweight Kenny Florian, it all depends on whether Hill can shore up his ground game.

“I absolutely believe he can be champion,” said Florian on a recent episode of the Anik & Florian Podcast (h/t Sporskeeda). “You know with that Paul Craig loss, I think that’s the kind of loss that’s going to drive someone like Jamahal Hill. That’s the kind of thing that’s going to motivate him and get him to shore up those weaknesses that perhaps was exposed in that fight. So, does he need to improve his grappling based on what we saw? Yes. But I do think he has absolutely all the makings of the champion based on what I have seen, based on how he handles himself, based on how he has climbed back in that division with the adversity that he has experienced… I would not be surprised in the least to see him as a 205-pound champion at some point.”

What’s Next For Jamahal Hill?

Relentlessly ambitious, Hill said after his victory over Walker that he wanted #2 ranked Ji?í Procházka next. But after Volkan Oezdemir tweeted that he’s “still doubting” Hill, it appears ‘Sweet Dreams’ now has his sights set on the Swiss.

“I’ve already said it, bro, as long as I got the say-so, he’s next,” Hill told TMZ. “Just for the simple fact that what I’m here to do, I can’t have people speaking out. If you gonna speak my name, you better be sure. You better be sure. And he spoke it, and I’m going to go out and make an example of him.”

Even without the beef between the duo, a matchup between newly-ranked #10 Hill and #8 Oezdemir makes a lot of sense. Oezdemir has lost five of his last seven fights, including his most recent to Procházka and Magomed Ankalaev. Derailing a surging prospect like Hill could give his UFC career the life-saving defibrillation it needs.

For Hill, facing a fellow knockout artist with little ground game like Oezdemir—and a seemingly faded one at that—will likely be easy work and propel him further up the top ten, where a true test of his skills may await.

However, many may no doubt be wondering: Would Hill’s one-punch knockout power, like Walker and Oezdemir before him, only carry him so far? Possibly. But if there’s one thing that drives ‘Sweet Dreams,’ it’s proving his doubters wrong.

What do you think? Does Jamahal Hill have the potential to be light heavyweight champ?

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Ben Askren and Jamahal Hill Get Into Twitter Spat Over Walker Trolls

Jamahal Hill has come to Johnny Walker’s defense against Ben Askren. Following his win at UFC Vegas 48, Jamahal Hill has been riding high. His opponent, Johnny Walker, however, has not been. Walker has been taking many shots from internet trolls regarding his loss and memes of his knockout have been circulating. Walker and his…

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Jamahal Hill has come to Johnny Walker’s defense against Ben Askren.

Following his win at UFC Vegas 48, Jamahal Hill has been riding high. His opponent, Johnny Walker, however, has not been. Walker has been taking many shots from internet trolls regarding his loss and memes of his knockout have been circulating. Walker and his fiancée both issued statements asking fans to leave them alone and to address the hardships that come after a public loss like Walker experienced.

Fighters being trolled is not new, unfortunately. Many times when a fighter loses via knockout, the image of them on the Octagon floor becomes viral. One man who knows this feeling well is Ben Askren. He became the subject of such ridicule when he lost to Jorge Masvidal. Now, he has taken to Twitter himself to mock Walker and his response to the situation.

“We all know what we signed up for. Fighters need to quit being little babies about people making fun of them on Twitter,” Askren wrote.

Jamahal Hill Claps Back At Askren

This message by Askren was following Hill coming to the defense of Walker. He put out his own message to fans warning them about the effects of their words and asking people to be kind. Askren did not embrace this message, instead took to mocking it instead.

To this end, Hill did not back down. He shot back at Askren in a series of his own Tweets.

“If you knew what u signed up for why did u retire after a year in the ufc? U couldn’t handle the heat and ran!!” Hill wrote. “I don’t need fans to love me, I love me some me!! But your a b–ch if your ok with ppl harassing your family. I would expect u to understand a alphas mind!!”

These two continue to go back and forth. Askren is no longer fighting, and it is unlikely that this feud will amount to anything, but Hill has been relentless in his attack on Askren.

What do you think of this spat between Ben Askren and Jamahal Hill?

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Johnny Walker, Jamahal Hill Condemn ‘Coward’ Trolls After UFC Vegas 48

Johnny WalkerBoth Jamahal Hill, and Johnny Walker have condemns “coward” trolls who have mocked the fashion in which the latter suffered his first round knockout loss in the main event of UFC Vegas 48 last weekend. Headlining last weekend’s card at the UFC Apex facility, impromptu main event features, Hill and Walker rounded out the card […]

Johnny Walker

Both Jamahal Hill, and Johnny Walker have condemns “coward” trolls who have mocked the fashion in which the latter suffered his first round knockout loss in the main event of UFC Vegas 48 last weekend.

Headlining last weekend’s card at the UFC Apex facility, impromptu main event features, Hill and Walker rounded out the card in the promotion’s return to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Scoring a close to the bout before the three-minute mark of the opening round, Hill clipped Walker with a right hand as the Brazilian entered range from the fence, rendering him unconscious before he fell against the Octagon fence, where he absorbed some more ground strikes from Hill.

Jamahal Hill’s KO win over Johnny Walker came as his second consecutively following a recent win over Jimmy Crute

The loss came as Walker’s fourth from his most recent five appearances under the UFC’s banner, and in the aftermath of his defeat to Hill, the Straight Blast Gym mainstay received mass abuse across his social media, as did his fiancé, with memes and pictures of Walker’s knockout loss circulating across social media.

Walker, who required transportation to a medical facility following his defeat to Chicago native, Hill, questioned why fans, and even some members of the media chose to disrespect him following his knockout defeat.

“I spent so many hours in the hospital getting checked out,” Johnny Walker said on his official YouTube channel. “I’m 100 percent good, the brain scan and everything is okay but they don’t know. They (fans) don’t really care about what happens with my health.”

“They send messages for my fiancé saying so much bullsh*t about me,” Johnny Walker continued. “Things that are disgusting. It’s not everybody but I would like to understand why we have people like this. People even from the media who have my number. They called me before the fight to ask for interviews and everything. Then when I lose, they make big jokes about my losses. This is just very disappointing, you know? You train so hard. I fight for money, to provide good health and support for my family in Brazil. To buy a house for me, I want to marry, I want to have kids, make a business, be sustainable. And they don’t f*cking care about my health.”

“I’m trying to do my best to bring them nice entertainment for everybody,” Johnny Walker explained. “But they just don’t care about my health and if I’m okay or not.”

Walker’s opponent, Hill, who moved to the #10 slot in the light heavyweight division courtesy of his knockout win, also condemned fans in a video released on his official Twitter, calling them cowards, and urging any fans of his who engaged in mocking Walker to not support him anymore.

“I do what I do for the entertainment of the fans and the love of the sport,” Jamahal Hill said. “And whenever I’m successful, and I get as knockout and have these moments that y’all like, bro, don’t use that time to dog somebody. I’ve lost, so I’ve received the ridicule and the things that come with that, and I understand that people are ignorant. But I can only imagine how y’all doing my man (Johnny Walker) right not, and that sh*t ain’t cool. That sh*t ain’t cool. Think about if that was you.”

Johnny Walker’s Fiance Defends Him Against Trolls Following UFC Vegas 48 KO Loss

Johnny WalkerUFC light heavyweight Johnny Walker has been the target of online trolls and meme-makers following his knockout loss to Jamahal Hill and his fiance is having none of it. Walker was looking to get back in the win column against Hill but ended up suffering a gruesome knockout just minutes into the fight. After both […]

Johnny Walker

UFC light heavyweight Johnny Walker has been the target of online trolls and meme-makers following his knockout loss to Jamahal Hill and his fiance is having none of it.

Walker was looking to get back in the win column against Hill but ended up suffering a gruesome knockout just minutes into the fight. After both men found their timing on the feet, Hill landed a massive right hook that slept Walker immediately.

In a recent Instagram post, Campbell addressed the trolls who have attacked Walker since his latest defeat.

Johnny Walker’s Fiance Defends Him After Loss To Jamahal Hill

“Sometimes you’re the hammer. Sometimes you’re the nail. Proud of you always,” Campbell said of Walker.

“And just a note in response to the onslaught of comments online. And the disgusting DMs I’ve received from fake or private accounts antagonizing me, and/or ridiculing Johnny. How fu**ing dare you. This is a sport. No one but the athletes and their inner circle know the sacrifices the athletes make. The effort and dedication that goes into a camp. The training. The impact it has on those around them. The mentality. This fight didn’t go Johnny’s way. For most of you, this is a sport you enjoy watching and knockouts like Saturday’s provide entertainment factor. But Johnny is my fiancé. He’s a son. A brother. An uncle. A friend. He’s so much more than a meme some people have made him into.

“And perhaps my words will go unnoticed.” (h/t BJPenn)

Walker has now lost four of his last five fights with the lone win coming against Ryan Spann in late 2020. Before his knockout loss to Hill, he had lost a unanimous decision to Thiago Santos in his first UFC main event.

Walker is arguably in a must-win situation for his next octagon appearance later this year.

What do you think is next for Johnny Walker in the UFC?