Like Jiri Prochazka before him, Jamahal Hill had to vacate the UFC’s light-heavyweight title earlier this year after suffering an injury, but with a new champion set to be crowned at UFC 295 on Saturday night, the ex-champ has confirmed that he has been promised an immediate title-shot upon his return to action.
“I was guaranteed when I come back, I will be given the title fight,” Hill told mmafighting.com. “[I will receive] the same champion purse and pay-per-view points.”
The 32-year-old Hill is currently on a four-fight winning streak that concluded with his title-winning unanimous decision victory over Glover Teixeira back in January.
A torn achilles tendon suffered during a basketball game then denied him the chance to defend the title, but after undergoing surgery he says his recovery is now going well and he’s planning to get back into the Octagon by the 2nd quarter of 2024.
“Looking at hopefully six months from the surgery [to get back to training],” Hill said. “Not bad. I plan on making my return in the second quarter of the year.
“Recovery process has been good. It’s been a lot quicker actually than I thought it would be. I’ve been making good strides. I’ve been walking now for a while. I’m getting back to my normal footwear and things. Just taking it slow. We were taking it slow, but now, it’s a little bit more aggressive. Looking to hopefully hit that six-month mark to be back and looking toward getting booked.”
With that in mind Hill will be a keen observer on Saturday night when Jiri Prochazka returns to fight Alex Pereira for the vacant 205lb title in the main event of UFC 295.
