Jamahal Hill expects title shot with win over Jiri Prochazka

LOS ANGELES – Jamahal Hill sees his UFC 311 fight with Jiri Prochazka as a No. 1 contender bout.

Former light heavyweight champions Hill (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and Prochazka (30-5-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) throw down on Saturday’s main card (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+) at Intuit Dome.

Hill will look to rebound from his knockout loss to light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira at UFC 300. Magomed Ankalaev is expected to be next in line for a title shot, but Hill doesn’t see his win over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 as enough.

“Yeah, 100 percent,” Hill said on getting the next title shot Wednesday at UFC 311 media day. “I feel a win here, especially a dominant, impressive win here, next fight is title. Next is the championship. I don’t see why it wouldn’t be. Ankalaev fought No. 5, No. 4 or something like that last then that just says title? So, I’m fighting No. 2 in the world. I don’t see me going backward from that.”

Hill’s backstory with Pereira doesn’t just stem from their recent bout. The pair were involved in an altercation at the UFC Performance Institute last month, which Hill was heavily criticized for.

But Hill is baffled by those who don’t see the bigger picture of setting up a future showdown.

“Some people are stupid,” Hill said. “You can’t fix stupid. One plus one still equals two to me, but some people, common sense ain’t common. So, 100 percent that’s what I feel it is. I believe we come both with exciting styles to put on a performance and leave a lasting memory whenever we step into the cage.

“People liked it and loved the moment so much last time, so why wouldn’t you want it again? Plus, I’m not making any excuses because I signed the contract. I came in, I felt ready to go, and I felt like I was good. But still, nine months from an Achilles injury, I’d like to see what I’d do now with where I’m at now.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.