Las Vegas, NV — Light heavyweight Jamahal Hill bounced back in the win column at UFC Vegas 44, care of a Performance of the Night-winning knockout of Jimmy Crute.
“It’s good to be back in the win column, especially after the last fight. And to do it this way, especially against a guy like Jimmy Crute who is highly talented, will be here for a while — yeah, it’s good,” Hill exclaimed following the fight, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press.
His last fight, as is well known, ended in injury when Hill dislocated his arm against Paul Craig. The Crute fight could not have gone smoother — an early knockdown, then a short while later, a knockout blow saw the fight end within a round. Hill had an inkling that might be coming.
“I actually told my coaches before, I was like ‘I feel like this ain’t going to last long,'” Hill recalled. “And also the right hook, I figured that that punch would be there, and I was able to clip him with it at first. I don’t know, I was just kind of surprised to see him go down, and then I was like ‘alright, stick with it.'”
That’s not to say the journey to this point was easy. A tough training camp saw personal losses, including the death of Hill’s former football coach, and of a training partner. “It has been tough. It’s been real tough, from losses to just other things, injuries, to— yeah it’s been tough,” noted Hill. “I was just happy to get the win.”
As to whether he silenced his critics on Saturday, “I don’t care,” Hill retorted. “I don’t care. Keep doubting, keep hating, doing whatever it is. And I’m going to keep doing me.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 44 post-fight press conference with Jamahal Hill above. More coverage can be found below.
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Vince Morales
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Claudio Puelles
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William Knight
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Cheyanne Vlismas
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Bryan Barberena
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Manel Kape
