Amid the chaos surrounding the buildup for the highly anticipated UFC lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan, rumors have been circulating. Despite the lightweight division still awaiting final confirmation, the UFC’s broadcast team recently revealed the promotion’s first major fight for 2025: a light heavyweight clash between Jiří Procházka and Jamahal Hill. Both fighters have recently suffered losses in the division, with Alex Pereira currently reigning as the champion.

Today, following the conclusion of UFC Macau in China, the broadcast desk analyst team—led by former welterweight Alan Jouban, along with Dan Hellie and Michael Bisping—discussed the upcoming matchups. While Bisping raised the possibility of a fight between Khalil Rountree Jr. and Jamahal Hill, Jouban interrupted Bisping, confirming that the Jiri Procházka vs. Hill fight is in the works, saying, “Jiří Procházka is coming up, too, in January.”

Former champion Jiří Procházka is currently 1-2 in his last three fights, with both losses coming from Alex Pereira. In his first loss last year at UFC 295, Procházka lost his title to Pereira. He tried to reclaim his lost glory seven months later but once again faced Pereira. However, in front of Pereira’s “spirit,” Procházka was defeated again.

Meanwhile, Jamahal Hill, a former division champion, became the champion for the first time in 2022 by submitting the 43-year-old Glover Teixeira via rear-naked choke. However, just before his first title defense, Hill suffered an injury and was forced to vacate the title. After returning to the octagon, Pereira, a mentee of Glover Teixeira, took revenge on behalf of his mentor at UFC 300. Since then, Hill has become a very vocal critic of Alex Pereira, which has been evident over time.

Jamahal Hill Reacts to Alex Pereira’s KO Win at UFC 300

Alex Pereira, in a short span of time under the UFC promotion, has emerged as one of the most active fighters in the organization. This year, his dominance in the promotion reached new heights as he successfully defended his title in three consecutive events: UFC 300, UFC 303, and UFC 307, securing knockout victories in each of those bouts. However, his most recent victory against Khalil Rountree Jr. was regarded as one of his hardest tests to date. Rountree became the first fighter to push Pereira past the third round in his MMA career. Despite the challenge, Pereira triumphed and extended his reign.

However, Jamahal Hill, unimpressed by Pereira’s performance, gave a “yawning” reaction towards the camera, dismissing Pereira’s performance. After receiving criticism, Hill opened up about why he reacted that way. Hill told Sportskeeda, “Nothing surprised me, it went exactly how I thought it was going to go… Nothing surprised me and nothing impressed me because that was a fight that he should’ve won probably more impressively than he did… Ultimately, Alex did what he was supposed to do.”

What’s your take on Jiří Procházka vs. Jamahal Hill? Is this the matchup fans have been waiting for, or do you think Dana White and the UFC should have stuck with the original plan of Khalil Rountree Jr. vs. Jamahal Hill, which was supposed to take place at UFC 303 before Rountree was sidelined due to a banned substance violation? Share your thoughts below.