Jamahal Hill lists potential opponents, including Josh Hokit, whom he'd like to fight at heavyweight
Ex-UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill names the possible opponents he'd love to fight after making his heavyweight debut.
Jamahal Hill has lately made waves in the MMA community by asserting that he plans to move to the heavyweight division.
Hill is on a three-fight losing streak -- having been knocked out by Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka, and being outpointed by Khalil Rountree Jr.
The American striking maestro is recovering from a knee injury. The ex-UFC light heavyweight champion has now named a few fighters he'd like to face when he moves up to the division of giants.
Jamahal Hill reiterates his desire to fight Josh Hokit, talks about other potential opponents and heavyweights
During a recent conversation with James Lynch for Home of Fight, Jamahal Hill was asked about his recent remarks wherein he'd mentioned that he'd like to fight the unbeaten Josh Hokit at heavyweight.
Upon being questioned whether he has another heavyweight opponent in mind if the Hokit matchup doesn't materialize, Hill stated, "Yeah. Sergei. Sergei Pavlovich."
Additionally, Hill suggested that he wouldn't want to fight Serghei Spivac, who he recalled cheering for in his fights. Additionally, he expressed his respect for Curtis "Razor" Blaydes and noted that he wouldn't want to fight "Razor" either.
Hill reaffirmed his intentions of fighting Hokit. Also, when asked about a possible fight between "The Incredible Hok" and Alex Pereira, he opined that the Brazilian striking savant would knock Hokit out.
The former light heavyweight titlist also claimed that he himself would handily beat Hokit. Hill said, "Pereira would knock him (Hokit) the f**k out. It would not be close. It's not going to be close when I fight him (Hokit).
Jamahal Hill's views on Josh Hokit's victory against Derrick Lewis, his comeback timeline
Moreover, Lynch chimed in and indicated that there are still questions in regard to how good Hokit actually is. He implied that his latest win, a TKO of the veteran Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250 earlier this month, didn't come against the best version of Lewis.
Hill concurred and highlighted that Lewis is unable to reach the target anymore, perhaps due to injuries or issues with his legs.
"Sweet Dreams" insinuated that Lewis hasn't been moving well in his recent fights, and that beating him at this point doesn't necessarily constitute a significant achievement for Hokit -- thereby signaling that the latter still needs to prove his mettle.
Moreover, Hill alluded to Lewis being one of the most popular heavyweights in the sport. The 35-year-old appeared to suggest that simply notching wins over popular fighters, when they're likely past their athletic prime, doesn't mean that Hokit is more accomplished than him.
Hill underlined that he's a former UFC champion as opposed to "The Incredible Hok," who's yet to capture UFC gold.
Furthermore, at the very beginning of their discussion, Hill pointed out that he's aiming to return in late 2026 or in early 2027. He spoke about easing his way back into MMA training, clarifying that he hasn't started it full-throttle as of yet.
Watch Jamahal Hill discuss his possible matchups in the 265-pound division below (*comments at the 18:31-minute mark of the video):
