Jamahal Hill reveals how UFC wasted no time in booking his fight against Glover Teixeira for the title

It's been a whirlwind of a weekend for Jamahal Hill and the UFC light heavyweight division. During his post-event press conference, UFC President Dana White announced that the vacant light heavyweight championship will once again be contested, this time at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

While speaking with John Morgan of MMA Underground, Jamahal Hill recalled how he found out he would be receiving a title opportunity against former champion Glover Teixeira:

"They called me before they even left the cage. By the time Magomed [Ankalaev] was walking up the aisle, I had already agreed." (0:59 - 1:10)

The timing was interesting, especially considering that the main event had ended just moments ago. White was visibly upset that there was no winner and even mentioned that it wasn't a good fight prior to announcing Teixeira vs. Hill for UFC 283.

'Sweet Dreams' described the adjustments he'll have to make now that he is fighting Teixeira for a title on six weeks' notice:

"You need to be ready physically, mentally, and I gotta be sharp. I gotta be at the top of my game like I never been. Yeah, it's gonna take everything. It's gonna take everything to come in and beat him...I don't care about his age or none of that he's already shown what that means, absolutely nothing. And he's game, bro, he's a champion - a true champion. So I gotta go and do what I gotta do." (4:15 - 4:48)

Jamahal Hill is riding an impressive three-fight winning streak that includes first-round knockout wins against Jimmy Crute and Johnny Walker. He also earned a TKO win against Thiago Santos in his last octagon outing. During his winning streak, he has also received a post-fight bonus after each win.

Check out the full interview:

Who was Jamahal Hill originally scheduled to fight?

Jamahal Hill was originally scheduled to return to the octagon to fight Anthony 'Lionheart' Smith at UFC Fight Night 221 on March 11.

🚨FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT🚨

Jamahal Hill continues his climb up the UFC's Light Heavyweight division. He will take on former title challenger Anthony Smith at UFC Fight Night 221 🔥

🗓️ March 11th 2023
📍 TBD
🗣️ @MMAisland

#UFC #MMATwitter https://t.co/ykQ0PzhXwk

With 'Sweet Dreams' accepting the vacant title fight against Glover Teixeira, Smith is now left without an opponent and could be put in a tough situation. The fight could have been significant in terms of positioning for a future title shot, but it looks as though he will need to settle for an opponent ranked below him.

Another possibility could be a rematch against Magomed Ankalaev, but he could be better off waiting to see what transpires from the Hill-Teixeira bout.

While speaking with MMA Underground's John Morgan, 'Sweet Dreams' mentioned that he reached out to Smith to let him know that he would be accepting the vacant title fight:

"I already know that was not news that he wanted and it's not something that I really wanted for him but it was just an opportunity that I had to take." (3:20 - 3:27)