LAS VEGAS – It wasn’t easy, but Jamahal Hill got the job done Saturday in Las Vegas.
In the UFC on ESPN 40 main event, Hill (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) defeated Thiago Santos (22-11 MMA, 14-10 UFC) via TKO at 2:31 of Round 4 at the UFC Apex.
The TKO solidified a 100 percent finishing rate for the event as a whole, marking only the second time in UFC history the feat has occurred. The other card that needed no judges was UFC 199 in June 2016.
The first round was methodical and measured by Santos. He utilized kicks of all levels to chip away at the mobility and aggression of Hill, who is usually a strong starter. A brief tie-up against the fence by Santos was the extent of the grappling in Round 1.
From the opening bell of Round 2, the tempo increased tremendously. Both men winged punches as Hill baited Santos into wild exchanges. Santos faired well in them, however. Cardio seemed to be the biggest issue, more so of the damage from Hill, who looked fresh despite the hard punches thrown and landed by both men.
After some heavy admonishing by his corner for getting into a “bar fight,” Santos mixed it up in Round 3 and scored a takedown. He only controlled Hill on the canvas briefly, before a scramble led to both men on the feet again. Santos tested his luck with another takedown attempt. It was successful again. Santos utilize some light ground-and-pound before Hill rose back up. Wild exchanges led to another Santos takedown, but not before he ate a big knee from Hill.
In the corner just before the championship rounds, Hill sported some a noticeable swell above his left eye. More damage came before all was said and done as Hill and Santos traded punch-for-punch in the pocket midway through Round 4. In a wild exchange, Hill toppled Santos who covered up and attempted to survive.
Santos, tired and stunned, visibly tried to stay in the fight. He crawled to the side of the cage, but there was no escape. Elbows and punches from Hill rained down over and over until referee Herb Dean saw enough.
After the fight, an audibly and visibly winded Hill told commentator Michael Bisping in the cage that people need to stop mentioning experience as a diss toward him and his rise toward the top as a relatively fresh face in the division.
HILL CALLED BEDTIME 😤 #UFCVegas59 pic.twitter.com/YGYDlM4zPP
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 7, 2022
Hill extends his winning streak to three with the victory. Prior to UFC on ESPN 40, Hill won back-to-back bouts against Jimmy Crute and Johnny Walker, each by first-round knockout. Seven of Hill’s 12 professional bouts have ended by either knockout or TKO.
As for Santos, his woes to win continue. He is 1-5 in his most recent six with his only a unanimous decision over Johnny Walker in October. He has now lost back-to-back bouts, also including a March loss to Magomed Ankalaev.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 40 results include:
- Jamahal Hill def. Thiago Santos via TKO (strikes) – Round 4, 2:31
- Geoff Neal def. Vicente Luque via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 2:01
- Mohammed Usman def. Zac Pauga via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 0:36 – to win “TUF 30” heavyweight title
- Juliana Miller def. Brogan Walker via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 3, 3:57 – to win “TUF 30” women’s flyweight title
- Serghei Spivac def. Augusto Sakai via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:42
- Terrance McKinney def. Erick Gonzalez via submission (standing rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:17
- Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Sam Alvey via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:56
- Bryan Battle def. Takashi Sato via knockout (head kick) – Round 1, 0:44
- Cory McKenna def. Miranda Granger via submission (Von Flue choke) – Round 2, 1:03
- Mayra Bueno Silva def. Stephanie Egger via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 1:17
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.
