Las Vegas, NV — Patiently awaiting his first title defense, UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill still doesn’t have a date on when he’ll get back in the cage.
Expected to face ex-champ Jiri Prochazka next, Hill (12-1, 1NC), who won the title against Glover Texeira back in January, is waiting for the Czech fighter to return from injury. There’s no update just yet, however, he told media outlets including Cageside Press ahead of the UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday.
“Not really. I hear that he’s supposed to be close to ready, right now we’re just trying to figure out a date,” stated Hill, who went on to give his thoughts on the pairing. “I look at is as a good match-up. I think it’s a fun, exciting match-up but I think it’s also one that I dominate.”
As for Magomed Ankalaev, who fought to a draw with Jan Blachowicz in a fight for the then-vacant 205lb title last year (the title remained vacant as a result of the draw, and was put up for grabs between Hill and Teixeira a month later), Hill feels he’ll be fighting down in the rankings.
“If I had to guess, they’d probably throw somebody at him from behind, maybe a Johnny Walker or an [Aleksandar] Rakic or [Nikita] Krylov, somebody like that.”
When it comes to the other big light heavyweight fight coming up, between Blachowicz and former middleweight champ Alex Pereira at UFC 291, “I don’t know who will win,” said Hill, but admitted that given the choice, “I think Pereira is probably a little bit better of a money fight. That angle is a little bit better of a money fight I believe.”
