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UFC 282: Hill answers the call
At UFC 282 last month the main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas between Jan Blachowicz
(29 - 9 - 1) and Magomed Ankalaev (18 - 1 - 1) ended in a surprise split draw. One judge declared Blachowicz the winner and another judge awarded the victory to Ankalaev, and the final judge scored it as a draw. It was the fifth draw ever in UFC history. The draw and an injury to the former champion, Jiří Procházka, would give #8 Jamahal“Sweet Dreams” Hill (12-1-0) a shot at gold.
“Sweet Dreams” Hill received a call from the UFC with Blachowicz and Ankalaev still in the cage, to let him know he and #2 Glover Texeira (33 - 9 - 0) would be next fighting for the Light Heavyweight Championship in January. At UFC 283 Hill had every right to feel nervous or anxious in his title fight debut. In Texeira’s home country of Brazil, just before the pair met in the octagon, the fans in Rio de Janeiro booed as the co-main event brought them a disappointing finish. Deiveson Figueiredo had lost in an upsetting fashion, as the Brazilian failed to bring home the Flyweight Championship belt due to a doctor-stoppage.
Facing the kind of adversity and pressure a UFC five-round championship fight can bring, Hill beat Glover Teixeira via unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-44) in the main event of UFC 283 on Saturday night to wrap the Light Heavyweight belt around his waist.
Hill's striking was on full display as he landed multiple hard shots throughout the fight. Texeira attempted to take Hill down 17 times and only completed two takedowns resulting in a ground control time of 3:26. For the most of the fight Hill threw vicious leg kicks and powerful counter punches that ended up bloodying Texeria by the early rounds. With a total of 248 total strikes out of 419 attempted strikes, “Sweet Dreams' ' tried to put Texeria to sleep with constant pressure that resulted in the fifth-most significant strikes recorded ever in UFC history.
In the end, Glover Texeira decided to retire after the fight. The 42-year old leaves behind a legacy that hardcore UFC fans will always remember. As for Hill, he solidified his status as a top dog of the light heavyweight division. At just 31-years old, this could be the start of a new dynasty in the division, even with the likes of Jan Blachowicz, Magomed Ankalaev and the current middleweight champion, Alex Periera breathing down his neck.
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