All that was missing from Jamahal Hill’s rise in the UFC was a signature win.
He got it on Saturday.
Hill stopped former title challenger Thiago Santos by TKO at 2:31 of the fourth round in the main event of UFC Fight Night at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Hill dropped Santos with punches and then finished things off with a flurry on the floor. Santos tried to defend himself on the mat, but Hill landed elbows until referee Herb Dean stopped the fight.
Entering the bout, ESPN had Santos ranked No. 9 in the world at light heavyweight. Hill was unranked, but that is likely to change shortly after this win, his third in a row.
Hill said in his post-fight interview that the UFC should “keep pushing me up there.”
“I think a title shot would be good,” he said.
Santos came out looking for takedowns early on, even though he is a decorated striker with 11 UFC knockouts, tied for the fourth most in the promotion’s history. But Hill has a ton of power in his hands, and the strategy was smart for Santos, who racked up a career-high five takedowns.
Santos’ problem ended up being his gas tank. He had success with takedowns in the third round, but by the fourth, he was visibly tired. Hill took advantage by pressuring him in the fourth and landing big combinations on the feet. Santos threw back hard and landed a bit, but eventually wilted to Hill’s pace and boxing.
“I expected him to come in and shoot [for takedowns]” Hill said. “I’m a hard person to handle. He mixed it up pretty well.”
Hill (11-1, 1 NC) has earned shutouts in his last three wins. The Chicago native who fights out of Michigan has just one loss in his career, to Paul Craig at UFC 263 in June 2021. Hill, 31, is 5-1 (1 NC) in the UFC with four KO/TKO, tied for most. in the UFC lightweight division since 2020.
Santos (22-11) has lost five of his last six bouts. The Brazilian fighter who trains out of Florida fought for the UFC light heavyweight title in 2019 in a split decision loss to Jon Jones. Santos, 38, is tied for the most knockouts in UFC middleweight history at eight with Anderson Silva and Uriah Hall. “Marreta” moved up to lightweight in 2018.
UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Hill was just the second event in modern UFC history with at least 10 fights and 100% finishes, according to ESPN stats and information. The other was UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping in November 2014 who had all finishes in 11 fights.
Also on the card Saturday night, Mohammed Usman defeated Zac Pauga in the second round to win the heavyweight tournament on “The Ultimate Fighter 30” reality show. Juliana Miller won the “TUF 30” women’s flyweight tournament, stopping Brogan Walker by TKO in the third round.