Jamahal Hill (; born May 19, 1991) is an American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. He currently competes in the

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC), where he is a former

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...

. As of June 24, 2025, he is #6 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.

Early life

Hill moved to Grand Rapids when he was 12. He graduated from Rogers High School in

Wyoming, Michigan Wyoming is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 76,501 at the 2020 census. Wyoming is the second most-populated community in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area and is bordered by Grand Rapids on the northea ...

. After passing on a basketball career at

Davenport University Davenport University is a private university with campuses throughout Michigan and online. It was founded in 1866 by Conrad Swensburg and currently offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees; diplomas; and post-grad certification prog ...

, Hill started competing in professional mixed martial arts in 2017.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Hill started his professional career in 2017 with a 5–0 record, four of the five fights coming under the KnockOut Promotions banner. In just his fourth professional fight Hill defeated future UFC fighter

Dequan Townsend Dequan Townsend (born May 11, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division. He has previously fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Townsend originally began training c ...

despite Townsend having twenty-six pro appearances prior to that bout. Hill then received the call to appear on Dana White's Contender Series 21 back in 2019, where Hill defeated opponent Alexander Poppeck via second-round ground and pound, earning his UFC contract.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Hill made his UFC debut against

Darko Stošić Darko Stošić (; born February 9, 1992) is a Serbian mixed martial artist currently fighting for Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW) in the heavyweight division. He is the former Final Fight Championship (FFC) heavyweight champion and he also compete ...

on January 25, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 166. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Hill faced

Klidson Abreu Klidson Abreu (born 24 December 1992) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist competing in the Heavyweight division. He formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Professional Fighters League (PFL). Mixed martial arts career ...

on May 30, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns. He initially won the fight via technical knockout in the first round, but the fight was later overturned on September 3 because Hill tested positive for

marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

. He was suspended six months and fined 15% of his fight purse. Hill faced

Ovince Saint Preux Ovince Saint Preux (born April 8, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most notably competed in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions of the UFC, challenging once for the interim UFC Light Heavyweight Championshi ...

on December 5, 2020, at UFC on ESPN 19. At the weigh-ins, former interim

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight clas ...

challenger

weighed in at 207.5 pounds, one and a half pounds over the light heavyweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at a catchweight and Saint Preux was fined 20% of his individual purse, which went to Hill. Hill won the fight via technical knockout in the second round. Hill was scheduled to face

Paul Craig Paul Lindsey Craig (born 27 November 1987) is a Scottish mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2013, Craig formerly competed for BAMMA, where h ...

on March 20, 2021 UFC on ESPN 21. However, on March 10, Hill withdrew from the bout after testing positive for COVID-19. The pairing with Craig remained intact and took place on June 12, 2021, at UFC 263. After having his elbow dislocated early in the fight via an armbar from Craig, Hill lost the fight via technical knockout in the first round. Hill was scheduled to face

Jimmy Crute Jimmy Crute (born 4 March 1996) is an Australian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Crute was the former Australian Hex Fight Series Light Heav ...

on October 2, 2021

UFC Fight Night 193 ''UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 193'', ''UFC Vegas 38'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 51'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 2, 2021 at the UFC A ...

. However, in early September, the bout was rescheduled two months later at UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Aldo. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award. In his first UFC main event, Hill faced Johnny Walker on February 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Hill. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. The win earned Hill his second '' Performance of the Night'' bonus award. Hill faced

Thiago Santos Thiago de Lima Santos (born January 7, 1984) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division. Santos competed in the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and in the Ultimate Fighting Champ ...

on August 6, 2022, at

UFC on ESPN 40 ''UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Hill'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 40'' and ''UFC Vegas 59'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 6, 2022, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Neva ...

. He won the fight via technical knockout. This fight earned him the '' Fight of the Night'' award.

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion

= Teixeira vs. Hill

= Hill was scheduled to face Anthony Smith on March 11, 2023, at

UFC Fight Night 221 ''UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 221'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 79'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 11, 2023, at The Theater at Virgin Hotel ...

. However, Hill was pulled from the bout after being rebooked to headline UFC 283 for the vacant

against

Glover Teixeira Glover Lucas Teixeira (; born 28 October 1979) is a Brazilian-American former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweig ...

on January 21, 2023. He won the bout and title via unanimous decision, and in the process became the first

Dana White's Contender Series Dana White's Contender Series, formerly named Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, is an American mixed martial arts promotion. In May 2017, the UFC announced White would hold the competition weekly on UFC Fight Pass (It has since been mov ...

alumn to win a UFC championship. This fight earned him the '' Fight of the Night'' award.

Injury and vacating the title

On July 14, 2023, Hill announced via his

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

page that he had ruptured his

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

playing a fighter basketball game during UFC International Fight Week, and that he would be relinquishing the UFC Light Heavyweight title.

Pereira vs Hill

Hill faced

Alex Pereira Alex Sandro Silva Pereira (born 7 July 1987) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former professional kickboxer. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is ...

for the

in the main event of

UFC 300 ''UFC 300: Pereira vs. Hill'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 13, 2024, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Valley, United States. Background Ma ...

on April 13, 2024. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round.

Post championship

Hill was scheduled to face Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 303 on June 29, 2024. However, Rountree was forced to withdraw from the event due to taking a banned substance, and was replaced by

Carlos Ulberg Carlos Sao Murry Ulberg (born 17 November 1990) is a New Zealand professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of March 25, 2025, ...

, who was eventually replaced by

Roman Dolidze Roman Dolidze (born 15 July 1988) is a Georgian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2016, Dolidze was the former World Warriors F ...

. Hill, in turn withdrew due to injury and was replaced by Anthony Smith. Hill faced former

Jiří Procházka Jiří Procházka (; ; born October 14, 1992) is a Czech professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion a ...

on January 18, 2025 at UFC 311. He lost the fight by technical knockout in the third round. Hill was scheduled to face former

challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. on April 26, 2025 in the main event at UFC on ESPN 66. However, Hill had to withdraw due to a leg injury, so the bout was scrapped. The bout was rescheduled and headlined UFC on ABC 8 on June 21, 2025. Hill lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Personal life

Hill has six children, who ranged in age from 2 to 14 years old, as of June 2021. On November 28, 2023, Hill was arrested in

Kent County, Michigan Kent County is located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the county had a population of 657,974, making it the fourth most populous county in Michigan, and the largest outside of the Metro Detroit, ...

on a charge of aggravated domestic violence after allegedly assaulting his brother on the night of November 27. He was later released from custody after posting bail. Hill's first court hearing was scheduled for January 2024.

Championships and accomplishments

(One time) ***Second highest significant strike differential in UFC championship history (+157 vs.

) ***Second most significant strikes landed in a title fight (232 vs.

) **The first

alum to become an undisputed UFC champion ** Fight of the Night (Two times) ** Performance of the Night (Two times) **Second most significant strikes landed-per-minute in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (6.85) **Second highest striking differential in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (3.4) **Most significant strikes landed in a UFC Light Heavyweight bout (232) vs.

***Most distant strikes landed in a UFC Light Heavyweight bout (188) vs.

***Most significant head strikes landed in a UFC Light Heavyweight bout (180) vs.

***Second most significant strikes attempted in a UFC Light Heavyweight bout (402) vs.

***Second most total strikes attempted in a UFC Light Heavyweight bout (419) vs.

***Second most total head strikes landed in a UFC Light Heavyweight bout (190) vs.

**UFC Honors Awards *** 2023: President's Choice Fight of the Year Nominee **UFC.com Awards ***2020: Ranked #6 Newcomer of the Year ***2022: Ranked #8 Fighter of the Year ***2023: Ranked #5 Fight of the Year vs.

*KnockOut Promotions **KOP Light Heavyweight Championship (One time) * MMAjunkie.com **2022 February Knockout of the Month vs. Johnny Walker **2023 January Fight of the Month

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 (1) , Khalil Rountree Jr. , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ABC: Hill vs. Rountree Jr. , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

, Azerbaijan , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–3 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC 311 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:01 ,

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–2 (1) ,

, KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:14 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , , align=center, 12–1 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC 283 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Brazil , , - , , align=center, 11–1 (1) ,

, TKO (punches and elbows) , UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Hill , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 2:31 ,

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , , Johnny Walker , KO (punch) , UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Hill , , style="text-align:center" , 1 , style="text-align:center" , 2:55 ,

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 9–1 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Aldo , , style="text-align:center" , 1 , style="text-align:center" , 0:48 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , style="text-align:center" , 8–1 (1) ,

, TKO (elbows and punches) , UFC 263 , , style="text-align:center" , 1 , style="text-align:center" , 1:59 ,

Glendale, Arizona Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Located about nine miles northwest of the state capital Phoenix, Glendale is known for State Farm Stadium, which is the home of the Arizona Cardinals football team. The city al ...

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 8–0 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori , , style="text-align:center" , 2 , style="text-align:center" , 3:37 ,

, United States , , - , NC , style="text-align:center" , 7–0 (1) ,

, NC (overturned) , UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns , , style="text-align:center" , 1 , style="text-align:center" , 1:51 ,

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 7–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos , , style="text-align:center" , 3 , style="text-align:center" , 5:00 ,

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 6–0 , Alexander Poppeck , TKO (punches and elbows) , Dana White's Contender Series 21 , , style="text-align:center" , 3 , style="text-align:center" , 0:22 ,

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Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

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, Decision (unanimous) , KnockOut Promotions 62 , , style="text-align:center" , 5 , style="text-align:center" , 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 2–0 , Mike Johnson , TKO (punches) , KnockOut Promotions 59 , , style="text-align:center" , 1 , style="text-align:center" , 4:45 ,

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center" , 1–0 , Alex Davidson , Decision (unanimous) , KnockOut Promotions 58 , , style="text-align:center" , 3 , style="text-align:center" , 5:00 ,

, United States ,

Pay-per-view bouts

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Jamahal 1991 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Ultimate Fighting Championship champions American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen