Where is Jamahal Hill? Making sense of the former UFC champion's absence

These last two years haven't been kind to Jamahal Hill, who has struggled to get back in the win column. So, like several other light heavyweights in search of change, he moved up a division, but there's still no sign of him anywhere, with no date for his potential heavyweight debut.

The perplexing Jamahal Hill saga

Jamahal Hill was never the most skilled fighter at light heavyweight. His footwork was poor, as he often crossed his feet while moving around the cage, ruining the stability of his stance. What he did have, though, was jaw-dropping athleticism. Hill was fast, powerful, and explosive, and in a division as shallow as light heavyweight, he went on a tear, scoring three straight knockouts/TKOs since a bizarre first-round loss to Paul Craig at UFC 263, with the Scotsman dislocating Hill's elbow with an armbar, then landing ground-and-pound off his back for the TKO win. After that minor disappointment, however, Hill's subsequent three-fight win streak earned him a crack at the then vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 283, where he faced ex-champion Glover Teixeira.

In what turned out to be a fine performance, Hill beat Teixeira from pillar to post, capturing the title via unanimous decision. Sadly, he would never defend it, as he was forced to vacate the belt after rupturing his Achilles tendon. He returned a little over a year later against Alex Pereira at UFC 300, determined to recapture his title. Hill was hyper-confident and extremely dismissive of Pereira's skills, but his trash talk came back to bite him, and he was knocked out in dominant fashion in round one. He dealt with the loss poorly and offered up several excuses, before eventually moving on to take on Jiří Procházka at UFC 311. He was, again, dismissive of his opponent's skills and it, again, came back to bite him, this time in the form of a third-round TKO loss.

Now on a two-fight losing streak, Hill was in desperate need of a win, and he was booked for a UFC on ESPN 66 encounter with Khalil Rountree Jr. Unfortunately, the bout only ended up taking place months later, due to a leg injury Hill had suffered. Ahead of their rescheduled bout at UFC on ABC 8, Hill was, as he tends to be, dismissive of Rountree Jr., claiming that his opponent simply wasn't on his level. Yet, come fight night, Hill was dominated in a unanimous decision loss that left him on a three-fight losing streak. Then, to make matters worse, a major knee surgery, in 2025, to replace the damaged cartillage in his knee was estimated to sideline him until late 2026.

In that time, Hill announced a move up to heavyweight, but the manner in which he has ballooned in weight doesn't seem to indicate a proper bulking plan. He is completely out of shape, with an even thicker midsection than before, and the excess weight will only add to the mechanical stress his surgically repaired knee is under. So, right now, he's likely waiting for the green light from his doctor to begin proper training, because as things stand, he's nowhere near fight shape.