Jiří Procházka and Jamahal Hill Will Finally Meet at UFC 311

Jamahal Hill and Jiří Procházka were supposed to fight for the UFC light heavyweight championship back in 2023. But life intervened. Procházka suffered an injury during training and had to vacate the belt.

While MMAfighting latest news shows that Hill got his championship opportunity, it wasn’t against the opponent people wanted to see. But Procházka and Hill have been swept up in the undertow of the dominance of current champion Alex Pereira. Each man needs a strong performance to stay in the championship conversation.

That makes them the perfect choice as the co-headliners for UFC 311 on Jan. 18, 2025, at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. This will be the first UFC event held in the state-of-the-art arena built as the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers.

While there are still plenty more bouts that will be announced for this card, a meeting between Hill and Procházka is one that many fight fans will want to see. Both men need a win. Each is capable of finishing the fight.

Should the Winner be Next in Line for the Title?

No. Magomed Ankalaev should be at the top spot in the line. Ankalaev is an interesting potential challenger for Pereira. The Russian fighter is an exceptional grappler, something Pereira hasn’t had to deal with during his time as champion.

However, MMA breaking news shows that there have been some rumblings that Ankalaev’s style doesn’t make him the most appealing challenger. Part of that reputation was built at UFC 282.

Ankalaev fought Jan Błachowicz, and the fight ended in a split draw. It wasn’t an inspiring fight, and Ankalaev wasn’t even rescheduled for a title fight. Instead, Hill ended up fighting Glover Teixeira to claim the championship.

While there is nothing wrong with how Ankalaev fights, he may have come along at the wrong time. There is a lot of pushback among fans to see fights that aren’t as grappling-oriented. People want to see fights finish.

Ankalaev will need to keep that in mind as he attempts to pursue his championship aspirations.

Who Will Be in the Main Event?

There is a rumor that Islam Makhachev will fight Arman Tsarukyan in a rematch of their non-title fight in 2019. Both men have succeeded in the octagon since that fight, which was Tsarukyan’s debut in the UFC. Makhachev rocketed up the rankings and won the lightweight title by submitting Charles Oliveira.

Since then, Makhachev has defended his championship three times. However, Tsarukyan may be the most dangerous of those challengers. Makhachev beat Alexander Volkanovski twice, but he was coming up a weight class.

Makhachev also defended against Dustin Poirier. However, Poirier only got the opportunity after Oliviera suffered an injury in the training camp for the fight. Tsarukyan will be a real test for Makhachev.

Procházka Needs a Win

Procházka came into the UFC with 30 fights outside of the promotion. Once the Polish star landed with the organization, he never slowed down. During his first two fights in the UFC, the best MMA news site shows that Procházka produced a pair of knockouts against former title challengers Dominick Reyes and Teixeira.

That allowed Procházka to move up the line of title challengers. He was successful in his first attempt to grab UFC gold. Procházka would become the first male fighter from Poland to win the title at UFC 275.

However, since then, things have mostly been downhill. Procházka chose to vacate the belt due to injury. When Procházka returned, he lost a battle for the vacant belt with Periera. While Procházka initially bounced back with a knockout win over Aleksandar Rakić, he followed that up with another nasty KO defeat to Pereira.

Can Hill Put Past Failures Behind Him?

Hill thought he could be the man to put Pereira in his place. But when the two men met at UFC 300, that isn’t even close to what happened. During the headline fight of an exciting night of results, Pereira stuck Hill to the mat.

Following an incidental low blow by Hill, Pereira waved off referee Herb Dean. Periera pushed forward and landed the punches that ended the fight. It was a difficult result for Hill.

During Hill’s career, he has only lost two fights. He is a Dana White’s Contender Series alum who has produced seven knockout wins during his career. Despite all of the early success, Hill only has 15 professional fights under his belt.

Hill will need more strong results to burnish his reputation.

Where Do We Go From Here?

There is no doubt that Ankalaev should be the next light heavyweight title challenger. He has earned the honor through his performance and hasn’t taken a loss to Pereira yet. However, the larger question may be if Pereira is interested in defending the belt at all.

There is a chance that Pereira may look to try and get a super fight with heavyweight Jon Jones. While UFC CEO Dana White has insisted that Jones’ next fight would be with interim champion Tom Aspinall, there is always a chance that the shot at big money could derail that fight.

There is also a question of whether the enigmatic Jones wouldn’t rather retire than continue fighting. Regardless of how things shake out, the opportunity to see Procházka and Hill finally meet is an exciting one. While I wish it would have happened for the belt a few years ago, this may be a more intriguing spot for both men. A win would do wonders for their career. A defeat could devastate it.

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By Dean McHugh.