January 22, (THEWILL) – Jamahal Hill defeated Glover Teixeira, in the main event of UFC 283 via a unanimous decision to win the light heavyweight championships on Saturday night, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The title is the 31-year-old’s first career belt and it was justified as all three judges’ scorecards read 50-44. The fight was nearly called off after the fourth round following a barrage of heavy shots from Hill. Hill rocked Teixeira multiple times in the second, third and fourth rounds, weaponising a variety of strikes.
In the fifth, Teixeira landed the coveted takedown he was seeking all night, but Hill’s vastly improved ground game neutralised Teixeira’s submission efforts and got the fight back to the feet.
Hill held the clear striking advantage throughout the entire bout, picking apart Teixeira from the opening minute and landing sharp jabs, uppercuts and hooks.
The respected striker surprised Teixeira with a mix of head kicks as well, a tool he had not shown previously. These improved his scoring but ultimately, there was no stopping Hill, who still held his own until the end of the bout to claim his victory.
