UFC light-heavyweight champ Hill targets 'dream fight' with Jon Jones
New UFC champion Jamahal Hill targets ‘dream fight’ with Jon Jones and gives ‘Bones’ the edge in huge showdown for heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane
- Jon Jones makes his long-awaited comeback at UFC 285 against Ciryl Gane
- Winner will claim the vacant heavyweight title in showdown on March 5
- New light-heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill says Jones is his ‘dream fight’
The UFC’s new light-heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill wants a ‘dream fight’ against Jon Jones.
Hill claimed the vacant belt with an impressive five-round victory over Glover Teixeira in the main event of UFC 283 earlier this month.
And he admitted a clash with Jones, who ruled the roost at 185-pounds for so long, is on his bucket list, even though the 35-year-old has bulked up for his heavyweight debut.
Jamahal Hill recently won the UFC light-heavyweight title and wants to face Jon Jones
Jones is moving up a division having vacated the light-heavyweight belt three years ago
‘Jones is a dream fight’, Hill told Sportskeeda. ‘It’s never stopped crossing my mind, a thousand per cent. I’ve still got some building to do, I still have defences that I have to make. But is that a challenge that I want for the future? Yes, it is.’
Jones makes his return after a three year absence on March 5 when he competes with Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight title.
When asked what he makes of that fight, Hill believes it is Jones’ wrestling ability that could prove decisive.
He went on: ‘I was expecting him to come back at some point. I’m just happy that he’s back. I’m a fan and I just can’t wait to watch.
‘It’s a good fight, I think a lot of the things Jon does well, Ciryl Gane does well also. I think Jon’s ability to grapple and mix it in is really good, but so is Ciryl Gane’s.
Ciryl Gane (right) is taking on Jones on March 5 for the vacant heavyweight title
‘I think the one edge that Jon may have is chain wrestling. He’ll have to get him down and I think he’ll actually be able to chain some offence together to get him down.
‘He’ll hold him down and we know how damaging Jon is from top position once you’re on the ground. So it will be good to see.
‘I think Jon should be the betting favourite because of what we’ve seen from him and we know his abilities.
‘But I wouldn’t be completely terrified to put my money on Ciryl Gane if the betting odds got too crazy because Ciryl’s kind of still a nasty motherf****r.’
Hill says he wants a few title defences under his belt before he faces Jones in the future
Hill was hugely impressive in beating Teixeira but it remains to be seen whether Jones will ever entertain a move back down to his old weight class.
The veteran has primed himself for a run at heavyweight having massively bulked up during his long period out of the limelight.
It will be fascinating to see how he fares against Gane in just over a month’s time.
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