Jamahal Hill aiming for a superfight against Jon Jones
Newly crowned UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill has his sights set on former champion and MMA legend, Jon Jones.
“It’s never stopped crossing my mind,” Hill told Sportskeeda’s James Lynch of a potential superfight with Jones. “1,000%. I still got some building to do. I still have defenses that I have to make and things like that. But is that a challenge I want? Yes, it is.”
Quote via TheScore
Hill is not the first light heavyweight to call for a fight against Jones and he certainly will not be the last. Since Jones left the division, UFC light heavyweights have consistently called his name.
Although, Hill understands his place in the sport much better than the other fighters that have called out Jones. Hill is not asking to move up to heavyweight to fight “Bones” right now. Instead, he acknowledged that he needs to defend the light heavyweight belt several times before stepping into the cage with Jones — which is true.
If Hill is able to defend the light heavyweight belt a handful of times, we may have a fight on our hands. That will not be an easy task, though.
Hill has several tough opponents sitting in front of him at light heavyweight. The most notable is a former champion, Jiri Prochazka. Due to the fact that Prochazka had to vacate the belt, Hill needs a win over the former champ to help improve his light heavyweight legacy.
Meanwhile, contenders like Magomed Ankalaev, Jan Blachowicz and Aleksander Rakic are knocking on the door of a title fight. Let’s not forget about UFC middleweight champion, Alex Pereira, who may opt to move up a division in the future.
Needless to say, the UFC light heavyweight division is ripe with fights for Hill.
With that being said, if Hill is able to tally a handful of title defenses a bout with Jones would make a level of sense. A successful light heavyweight champion against the division’s former king is an interesting storyline that could sell pay-per-views.
In order for Hill’s dream fight with Jones to come true, he will need help from “Bones.” First of all, Jones will need to beat Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 and become the UFC heavyweight champion. After that, he will need to remain the champion while Hill racks up title defenses.
Regardless of how you view an imaginary fight between Hill and Jones, Hill deserves credit for the way he is approaching the situation. Most fighters in his shoes would say they want to fight Jones in their next bout. Hill did not take that route. Instead, he wanted to build himself up and create a super fight. I have to respect the guy that is willing to fight the best of the best while building himself into a star.
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