Jamahal Hill silenced a whole lot of critics after he put on a lights out performance to beat Glover Teixeira and claim the vacant light heavyweight title in the UFC 283 main event.
It was an intense and relentless attack by Hill that lasted round after round. He busted Teixeira several times and almost lost his fight, but the seemingly old veteran managed to keep going. It was clear that Hill had won the battle and was crowned 205 champion. He fell to his knees in tears to commemorate his victory.
The judges all scored the fight 50-44 as Hill claimed the unanimous decision.
“Wherever I’ve come from, this is unreal,” Hill stated. “Anything’s possible. You can do anything with hard work, dedication and accountability.
“Too many people tried to tell me I couldn’t do it. It was impossible. I needed to win in one round. It was impossible for me to win in one round.
It was an unbelievable showing from Hill, who actually accepted the fight on relatively short notice after the previous attempt to crown a new light heavyweight champion ended in a majority draw between Magomed Ankalaev and Jan Blachowicz this past December.
The fight went in a similar manner over the five rounds. Hill effectively stopped Teixeira’s attempts to outgrapple his opponent and lit up Teixeira with various strikes. Hill was relentless in his execution, from brutal head kicks to vicious uppercuts.
Throughout the fight, Hill was consistently connecting on target with Teixeira displaying an unreal chin as he absorbed damage in nearly every exchange.
The first real momentum shift came after Hill uncorked a pair of vicious head kicks with the second shot blasting Teixeira and clearly rattling the 43-year-old veteran. Hill looked to seize the moment with a barrage of punches but despite landing several stinging shots, Teixeira refused to go away.
Teixeira finally turned the tables with some hard punches of his own as he opened a cut under Hill’s right eye before finally landing his first takedown in the fight. While it appeared momentarily that Teixeira might find a submission, Hill survived before scrambling back to his feet.
As the third round began, Hill unleashed another one of his head kicks. Teixeira tried to block it but the blunt force caused some serious damage. Teixeira became wobbly again, and the Brazilian was beginning to feel the death knell.
Teixeira managed to persevere, but he had to absorb a lot.
With numerous cuts to his face, including a particularly horrific gash above his right eye. Teixeira looked really afflicted and Hill seemed ready for action.
Hill was smart with his attacks as he stuck the jab in Teixeira’s face and kept looking for that same head kick that was constantly paying dividends. Another barrage followed with Hill trapping Teixeira against the cage and just unloading several vicious combinations including a number of uppercuts and straight punches that just bounced off his opponent’s head.
A late takedown allowed Teixeira to grind through most of the fifth round, but Hill still managed a reverse and kept pounding on until the end. When it was over, Hill was understandably stunned at Teixeira’s durability.
“The dude is tough as bricks,” Hill said. Hill said, “I don’t know anyone that could take the things I was throwing.” It’s just an honor to share this cage with him.”
While Hill was talking, Teixeira quietly took off his gloves and announced that Saturday would be his last fight.
“In reality, I think I’m too tough for my own good,” Teixeira said. Teixeira said, “Too hard for my own good.” It’s impossible for me to keep up. Alex Pereira is my focus. He’s going to keep his belt for a while and then go up to light heavyweight.
“It was an honour to take the gloves off the hands of ‘Shogun [Mauricio Rua]. We wish that we could have been in the Royce Gracie era when you could go no round and just keep going, but it’s not. I’m just not keeping up anymore.”
Honorable – At the end of the fight, Teixeira announced his intention to walk out with Hill and asked the Brazilian fans to respect him as UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/1/22/23566115/jamahal-hill-claims-light-heavyweight-title-punishing-win-glover-teixeira-retires-ufc-283-main-event?rand=96749
