Welcome to The Weekly Takedown, Sports Illustrated’s in-depth look at MMA. Every week, this column offers insight and information on the most noteworthy stories in the fight world.
Two weeks before Christmas, Jamahal Hill took in a relaxing night to watch UFC 282. Already in a fight camp to prepare for an upcoming bout against Anthony Smith in March, Hill watched as the light heavyweight title fight ended in a draw. As he began to consider what would happen to the vacant belt, Hill’s phone rang.
“It was my manager calling,” says Hill. “We have a really good relationship, and I thought he was calling to talk about the fights. But he said something different. All I heard was, ‘Fight for the world title,’ and I immediately said, ‘I’m in.’”
Hill accepted a bout against Glover Teixeira to crown a new light heavyweight champ, which takes place this Saturday in the main event of UFC 283.
“It’s every fighter’s dream to fight for a title,” says Hill. “I’ve always asked myself if I am good enough to be champion. Until now, I haven’t known. But I get to find out. Now I get to know.”
Hill (11-1, 1 NC) has blazing power. His last three fights were won by knockout. At 31 years old, he is a solid dozen years younger than Teixeira, who is on a tear of his own, winning six of his last seven—with his only loss suffered against Jiri Prochazka in a masterpiece of a fight.
Teixeira (33-8) is a world-class jiu-jitsu artist. His approach will center around forcing Hill to the mat and drowning him in technical groundwork. Teixeira is especially dangerous because he is willing to eat shots to set up his jiu-jitsu, but that is a dangerous proposition against someone with the power of Hill.
For Hill, it is critical that he remains standing. Then it is time to drill Teixeira with vicious, unrelenting blows.
“Obviously, he wants to get it to the ground,” says Hill. “I need to implement my game plan. I want to make him uncomfortable and make him fight my type of fight.
“I don’t have to go out and rush. If I catch him earlier and knock him out, that’s cool. If I need to beat on him for the whole fight, that’s cool, too. Whatever it takes. I’m coming for victory.”
Since receiving this title shot, Hill’s bout against Anthony Smith was called off. But the two have kept in touch, further strengthening their friendship. In recent weeks, Smith came out to train with Hill and helped him prepare for Teixeira.
“‘Ant’ came out here for a few days, we went over some things, and got some good work in,” says Hill. “We would have had a hell of a fight, but hopefully we can settle that business down the road. I’m very appreciative of him answering the call and being a brother.”
Hill started competing six years ago. He earned his UFC contract through a successful showing on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, and has continued to build momentum in the Octagon. The father of six now seeks to change his life forever by bringing home UFC gold.
“I took a long road to get here,” says Hill. “I don’t come from money. I don’t come from privilege. I locked in and held myself accountable. I put in the work to have the success.
“The belt means a lot to me. It will cement who I already know I am. It’s something that could never be taken away from me. Once you’re a champion, you’ll be a champion forever. That’s what I want.”
Dvalishvili Takes Next Step to Bantamweight Belt
Merab Dvalishvili is in line for the best opportunity of his career, as he headlines UFC’s card on March 11 against Petr Yan.
This is the No. 2 vs. No. 3 fighter, and Dvalishvili (15-4) is fighting up for a reason. He has steamrolled his past eight opponents, and he should be next in line for a title shot if he can defeat Yan (16-4).
Yan has dropped three of his last four, yet remains as dangerous as ever. Dvalishvili and his team know Yan especially well, as they helped prepare Aljamain Sterling for his two title fights against him. Dvalishvili was also in Sterling’s corner when he beat Yan last year.
A member of the Serra-Longo Fight Team, Dvalishvili works with the immensely talented coach Ray Longo. With over five decades in the sport, Longo has helped fighters to some of the biggest wins in UFC history—like Matt Serra to an iconic upset against Georges St-Pierre in 2007, as well as Chris Weidman against Anderson Silva in 2013.
“Merab knows what he needs to do to win,” says Longo. “He just needs to fight his fight. He doesn’t need people to change the narrative to anything but the fight. He just needs to be himself.”
Sterling shares such a tight bond with Dvalishvili that he prefers they do not fight one another. After getting one more victory, Sterling’s goal is to move weight classes up to the featherweight division, where a must-see showdown against Alexander Volkanovski could occur. That would vacate the bantamweight title, right in time for Dvalishvili to challenge for it. Yet, in order for all that to occur, Dvalishvili must first beat Yan.
“Merab needs to put the pressure on for five rounds and see if he can break Yan,” says Longo. “Yan has great cardio, too. I just don’t know if he’s ever been relentlessly pursued for five rounds the way Merab does it.”
