UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill is forced to relinquish his title after suffering an Achilles tendon injury. This marks the third time in three years that the division is without a champion.
| UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill announces he will be relinquishing his title due to a ruptured Achilles tendon.
| This is the third time in the past three years that a UFC light heavyweight champion has given up the title.
| Hill won the vacant title in January by defeating Glover Teixeira.
| Jon Jones vacated the belt in August 2020 to move up to the heavyweight division.
| Hill is confident that he is the true champion and looks forward to proving it upon his return from injury.
The UFC light heavyweight title is once again vacant as Jamahal Hill, the reigning champion for six months, announced that he had ruptured his Achilles tendon and would be relinquishing the belt. Hill expressed his disappointment in having to give up the title but understood that the show must go on. This marks the third time in the past three years that a UFC light heavyweight champion has given up the title.
Hill won the vacant title in January by defeating former champion Glover Teixeira at UFC 283. Prior to that, Jiri Prochazka was supposed to challenge Teixeira for the belt in December, but had to relinquish it due to a shoulder injury. In December, a vacant title fight between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev ended in a split draw, leaving the division without a champion until Hill’s victory.
Jon Jones, the longtime 205-pound king, also vacated the belt in August 2020 to move up to the heavyweight division, where he is now the UFC heavyweight champion. Hill commended Prochazka for giving up the title last year to avoid holding up the division and stated that he would do the same.
Hill, who has a record of 12-1, 1 NC, has won his last four fights and has been awarded fight-night bonuses for each of those victories. He is the first Dana White’s Contender Series alum to become an undisputed UFC champion and is confident in his abilities to prove that he is the true champion upon his return from injury.
Fight Results
| Event | Date | Winner | Loser |
|---|---|---|---|
| UFC 283 | January | Jamahal Hill | Glover Teixeira |
| UFC 292 | December | Jan Blachowicz | Magomed Ankalaev |
Hill is now focused on his recovery and getting back to 100 percent. He expressed gratitude towards the UFC for promising him a shot at the title upon his return and is eager to prove that he is the real champion.
