Jamahal Hill Should Be Next For Light Heavyweight Title Shot

It is Jamahal Hill, and not Israel Adesanya, who should be the first challenger for Alex Pereira

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Jamahal Hill should be first in line

When Alex Pereira won the light heavyweight title at UFC 295 on Saturday, he called out Israel Adesanya.

Pereira defeated Adesanya on two separate occasions in kickboxing, then beat him for the middleweight title a year ago in the Octagon. Adesanya earned more than a modicum of redemption when he knocked out Pereira this past April, regaining the belt.

While there is certainly interest in an MMA trilogy between Pereira and Adesanya, one person who currently finds that option extremely unappealing is Jamahal Hill.

Prior to Pereira, who defeated Jiri Prochazka on Saturday at UFC 295 to win the vacant light heavyweight title, Hill was the last person to wear the championship. Hill absolutely dominated Glover Teixeira when he claimed the vacant title in January, and it looked like the division would run through him–until he ruptured his Achilles tendon over the summer.

Courtesy Zuffa LLC

But Hill is close to returning to full health. He sat cageside for the Pereira-Prochazka main event at Madison Square Garden, and he looked surprised when Pereira turned his focus toward Adesanya. Perhaps that was a sign of respect. Adesanya would be an extremely good matchup for Pereira at light heavyweight, especially considering the way a much bigger Jan Blachowicz used his size to pin down Adesanya when they fought for the light heavyweight title in March of 2021. Pereira smells blood, especially after Adesanya was humbled against Sean Strickland.

Competing against Hill is altogether different. Hill (12-1, 1 NC) has won four in a row, absolutely pummeling his opponents. He possesses a type of power that Pereira has yet to face in the light heavyweight division.

If healthy, Hill is the matchup that makes the most sense for Pereira’s first title defense. An added backstory is that Hill also defeated Teixeira, who is a trusted advisor and coach in Pereira’s corner.

The caveat will be his health. But if the Achilles tendon is not causing him mobility issues, Hill should be a favorite to dethrone Pereira.

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Holly Holm reflects on high school soccer career

Holly Holm last fought in July, choked out in a decisive manner by Mayra Bueno Silva. That decision was later overturned after Bueno Silva tested positive for a banned substance, yet it effectively took Holm out of the bantamweight title mix–at least for now.

Courtesy Zuffa LLC

Holm (15-6, 1 NC) turned 42 last month, but the former women’s bantamweight champion is only one win away from restoring her place in title contention. And despite a difficult showing against Bueno Silva in the second round after a competitive first, she has no plans to stop fighting.

“I’ve been blessed to have a very lengthy career,” said Holm. “I know I’m closer to the end, I don’t have another 10 years left. But I have a few good years and a few good fights left.”

A member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and a future UFC Hall of Famer, Holm has enjoyed success in a number of athletic pursuits. As fall turns to winter, it is also worth noting that Holm starred for the Manzano High School girls soccer team in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“I loved soccer,” said Holm. “I played left forward.”

A true competitor, it was nearly impossible to keep Holm off the field. Even when Holm broke her shin in club soccer between her sophomore and junior seasons, she returned to her high school team as aggressive, intense, and ferocious as ever.

It may surprise people to learn Holm was not a goal scorer. Instead, she specialized in setting up her teammates.

“Every year, I had the most assists,” said Holm, who graduated in 2000. “I could put the ball in the right place. I took a lot of pride in setting up our center, right forward, or one of the midfielders.”

Courtesy Zuffa LLC

In a David vs. Goliath (or, perhaps, Holm vs. Ronda Rousey) type of situation, Holm’s team won the district championship during the 1997 season. They advanced all the way to the finals of the state tournament against La Cueva, a school that entered the championship game having won the title in five of the prior seven years.

“We never thought we’d make it that far,” said Holm. “To make it to the finals, that was amazing.”

La Cueva won the game, 2-0, and then repeated as champions the following year.

“The team who beat us was really good,” said Holm. “Our school was not known for soccer. We were known for football, so this was big for us.”

Defeat eats away at Holm, making her training and preparation even more grueling. Holm shared that she handled that loss fairly well, though the fact that more than two decades have passed undoubtedly helped remove the stinging pain of defeat.

“Looking back, I took that loss a lot better than any loss I’ve had in fighting,” said Holm. “But it was still extremely frustrating to lose.”

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Usman Nurmagomedov fails drug test; will it have any lingering effect?

The news that Usman Nurmagomedov failed a drug test broke on Saturday, and the reigning Bellator lightweight champion is now serving a six-month suspension.

Nurmagomedov at Bellator 300 (Courtesy Bellator)

Nurmagomedov defeated Brent Usman at Bellator 300 in California, but due to testing positive to a banned substance, the decision was overturned by the California State Athletic Commission. While he remains Bellator lightweight champion, Nurmagomedov (17-0, 1 NC) no longer has that victory as part of his record.

Given the tenuous nature of Bellator’s future, it is unknown if this suspension will have any lasting impact. If Bellator continues to exist in 2024, it would have consequences–Nurmagomedov’s fight against Primus was part of the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix, so it is unclear who would advance. Yet that is unlikely, as it appears Bellator will no longer exist in the new year.

Only 25, Nurmagomedov is one of the best lightweights in the world. If he becomes a free agent, he would receive immediate interest from the UFC, which is where his cousin–the great Khabib Nurmagomedov–enjoyed his greatest success.