"I like knees to the head of a grounded opponent" - Angela Hill weighs in on Petr Yan - Aljamain Sterling controversy at UFC 259 (Exclusive)
Angela Hill is in favor of legalizing throwing knees at a grounded opponent. The UFC strawweight said allowing the fighters to knee a downed opponent will add an interesting element to fights.
Hill, the 12th ranked strawweight contender, is set to fight Ashley Yoder in a rematch this weekend at UFC Vegas 21. The pair previously fought in 2017, where Hill edged past Yoder via unanimous decision.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Angela Hill stated she would be pleased if the UFC considers legalizing knees to a grounded fighter:
"I kind of like knees to the head of a grounded opponent. With Aljo (Aljamain Sterling) and Petr Yan's fight, if he (Sterling) knew that he (Yan) could knee him really, he (Sterling) wouldn't be sitting there. That situation would have never happened. He would have rolled to his back or try to scramble way quicker (that) Petr would have missed the knee. But because he felt safe there because he knew he was a grounded opponent, he sat there and just got decapitated," Hill told Sportskeeda.
"I've always thought that knees to a grounded opponent, knees to the face like Pride or ONE Fighting Championship rules, I always felt like that would make for more interesting fights," added Hill.
You can watch the full interview below:
Angela Hill thinks Rose Namajunas will cause an upset at UFC 261
When asked who could emerge victorious between fellow strawweights, Weili Zhang and Rose Namajunas at UFC 261, Angela Hill said she would put her money on the American fighter. Namajunas and Zhang will lock horns on 24 April this year with the UFC strawweight championship on the line:
"Rose is good at angling off, and not getting hit, picking her shots, and getting out of the way. But Weili has power and she's a smart fighter too. It all depends on whose gameplan just plays out better," said Hill. "I think Rose definitely has a good chance of winning this fight. If she's an underdog, I am probably gonna put money on her just because".
Speaking on her upcoming opponent at UFC Vegas 21, Angela Hill said she is not undermining Ashley Yoder just because she is an unranked fighter. 'Overkill' added she is ready to challenge any of the competitors in the strawweight division:
"I am up for whoever is there. Sometimes my coaches are like 'calm down a bit, let's think about this'. But I think, with her (Ashley Yoder), it was a solid matchup. I already beat her once, and I felt like (in) my training, I have just been almost accidentally preparing for her," said Angela Hill.
Angela Hill and Ashley Yoder were expected to fight each other on February 27, but the bout was rescheduled after Yoder's cornerman tested positive for COVID-19.