LAS VEGAS – Make no mistake about it, Jamahal Hill heard the doubters.
A highly-touted prospect, Hill saw his undefeated record vanish, courtesy of Paul Craig at UFC 263 this past June. When he returned to the cage six months later, he was considered an underdog against Australian light heavyweight Jimmy Crute.
“Hell yeah, there was no question – wasn’t no think, there was doubt,” Hill told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s media day at the UFC Apex. “Absolutely nobody had me winning my next fight. Everybody was against me. They couldn’t see me doing anything.”
Hill silenced the naysayers in rapid fashion, needing just 48 seconds to score a devastating knockout and a Performance of the Night bonus.
“That was big,” Hill said. “It was nice to reassure myself that you just had a slip, and that’s all it was. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
Just two months later, Hill (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is back in the cage with another big test in front of him. “Sweet Dreams” faces Brazilian wildman Johnny Walker (18-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 201, which streams live on ESPN+ from the UFC Apex. With the night’s original headliner pushed back a month, Hill vs. Walker now serves as the card’s main event.
Hill said he’s appreciative of the honor but isn’t looking at the fight any differently.
“It’s just the acknowledgment of the spotlight is a little brighter,” Hill said. “It’s the main event spot, so you’re expected to deliver, but other than that, I always deliver, I feel like, so no, it doesn’t feel any different. I just approach it like I always do.”
This time around, Hill is the one expected to get his hand raised according to the oddsmakers, but he’s not minimizing the challenge that lies ahead, even with Walker mired in a 1-3 stretch. Hill just thinks he’s ready to meet that challenge head on.
“He’s a talented dude,” Hill said. “He’s still young, and I mean he’s still got time to grow, still got time to experience things. He’s got a crazy-ass personality, mindset and things, so I mean he just has fun. Those are dangerous people. You know, I’ve just got to come in and do me, lock in like I know I can and show my skills, and I think my skills are just levels above.”
With a win, Hill will likely again garner much attention for what he might be able to accomplish in his career. But Hill says he’s not all that concerned with what others think of his skills. After all, it wasn’t that long ago he heard the rumblings of those who thought he was being overhyped.
“Even now, people still like, it’s crazy – it’s a weird thing on how people view fighters and their skills and what their capabilities are,” Hill said. “If Steph Curry shot 0-for-10 from 3-point, you going be like, ‘Oh, he shouldn’t shoot. Whenever he shoots, he shouldn’t shoot.’ Just because you slip up or you have a bad performance in certain areas doesn’t mean you can’t do things.”
So, doubt Hill at your own risk moving forward. Sure, the undefeated record is gone, but he believes great things await – and if you want to label him an underdog again, well, he’s OK with that, too.
“Y’all remember when I first got here, everybody was like, Oh, is you in the doghouse? You with the big dogs,’ and all of that?” Hill asked. “The simple fact of everybody keeps doubting me, it’s crazy. I was thinking about that the other day like, ‘Oh, you’re in the doghouse.’ People kept saying that to me, right? I look at myself as a lion.
“If you was looking at yourself and you’re a lion, and everybody’s telling you you’re in the dog house – if you looked out in your backyard and you see your dog out there with a lion, who you worried about? You worried about your dog or you worried about the lion? Worry about everybody else. Worry about these little dogs.”
To see the full interview with Hill, check out the video above.