"What they look like?" - Jamahal Hill fires back at fans that criticize his physique at 205 pounds
Jamahal Hill went to war at UFC Vegas 59 against Thiago Santos, emerging victorious with a fourth-round TKO victory. While the win will undoubtedly propel him into the contender's circle at light heavyweight, he still has critics that don't feel like he's got the body of a real 205-pounder.
In a new episode of The MMA Hour, Hill addressed the talk of his less muscular body type, which was contrasted by his opponent Santos' bodybuilder physique. He said:
"What they look like? Ha, that's funny, because most of them don't even have profile pictures. They don't even put themselves, not even their face. So that's funny. I'm not built like most guys at 205. They have a lot of muscle, they're bulkier, built, things like that. I don't feel the need to be built that way."
"I'm actually not flabby, I'm not big, I'm solid. If you actually felt my frame, I'm solid. Thiago just has bigger muscles. My frame was bigger than his was. I don't know, man. It's just one of those things that people are obsessed with, the visual. It's funny."
Watch Jamahal Hill discuss his physique on The MMA Hour below:
Another light heavyweight that didn't have a traditionally muscular frame is Jon Jones, so Jamahal Hill is in good company when it comes to his body type. 'Sweet Dreams' is now on a three-fight win streak with all three fights coming via KO/TKO. It's clear he's doing a lot of things right, so messing with his body type is definitely not necessary.
I asked Jamahal Hill about all of the body shaming this week https://t.co/eb50cyOL0T
Jamahal Hill is looking to fight champions moving forward, past and present
Jamahal Hill came into UFC Vegas 59 ranked No.10 in the light heavyweight division. After beating No.6-ranked Thiago Silva, he'll be moving up and knocking on the door of top five. With this streak and the way he's won his fights, he feels he's ready for the 205-pound champion.
🗣 NO JUDGES NEEDED AT THE APEX TONIGHT
Jamahal Hill topples Thiago Santos to cap off an UNREAL night of fights 🤯 https://t.co/k7nxHHWVTh
If the UFC doesn't give him that, a former champion will do. At the UFC Vegas 59 post-fight press conference, Hill said:
“Everybody interests me up at the top, but I want the shot at Jiri. I’ve been calling for Jiri for two years now. I want him. I don’t care if he’s champion, I got twice as many wins as he does in this organization. So I want him. If I can’t get him, give me the man that used to sit on the throne. I’ll take Jan. I’m hungry. I want gold. The lion is hungry for gold. Present or former.”
Hill has quietly climbed the rankings, but will be hard to ignore now that he's proven his finishing ability doesn't fade as he fights tougher competition. At 5-1-1 in the UFC (11-1-1 MMA), it's time for 'Sweet Dreams' to be recognized as a legitimate threat.