BREAKING: UFC Champion suffers long-term injury, hints at vacating title
The UFC light heavyweight title is back up for grabs!
Jamahal Hill recently dropped a bombshell on the MMA community by announcing that he has relinquished his light heavyweight championship due to suffering a brutal Achilles injury that will require surgery and extensive rehabilitation.
Hill won the 205-pound strap against Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 in January, securing a dominant unanimous decision win over the Brazilian veteran. While he was expected to face top-ranked contender and former champion Jiri Prochazka for his first title defense later this year, it seems ‘Sweet Dreams’ has suffered a similar fate to ‘Denisa.’
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Jamahal Hill stated:
“Everyone knows that I’ve been waiting for months now to face Jiri Prochazka and defend my belt and my title – unfortunately we’re going to have to wait a little bit. I’ve ruptured my Achilles… It’s one that will require surgery and time and rehab and things to be out for a while.”
Like Prochazka vacated the light heavyweight title after his shoulder injury last year, Hill announced that he would also relinquish the strap to ensure the division progresses.
“Jiri Prochazka was the champion. He suffered an injury… He gave up the belt and allowed for others to not hold the division up, to keep the division moving forward to make sure the people had a champion. I’ll do the same.”
Hill thanked the UFC for their support and said he’d been promised a title shot on his return. Now that the Jamahal Hill vs. Jiri Prochazka title fight is undeniably off the table, the light heavyweight division will see a new champion being crowned soon.
It’s worth noting that Alex Pereira is scheduled to face former 205-pound champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291. Given that fans are already hyped about the two former champions trading blows in the octagon, it would be unsurprising to see the UFC turn that bout into a title fight.
Watch Jamahal Hill’s announcement below:
