Jamahal Hill's Heavyweight Move Draws Jokes — and a Fast-Track Plan

Jamahal Hill is bulking up for a heavyweight run, and the peanut gallery is already loud. On a recent episode of Deep Waters, retired UFC vets Chris Weidman and Dustin Poirier riffed on the division's shallow talent pool before Poirier cracked that Hill "counts as two" of the roster's heavyweights. Weidman, laughing, said Hill looks "pregnant" — then immediately braced for the inevitable clapback, adding that Hill makes fun of himself, so it's fine.

The jokes land partly because Hill's been leaning into it, posting videos poking fun at his new physique. But the more interesting stuff came after the banter. Hill hasn't had his hand raised since beating Glover Teixeira for the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 283 in January 2023. He vacated that belt with an injury, then came back and lost his shot to regain it against Alex Pereira in the UFC 300 main event. That's a long time between wins for a man who used to run 205.

The Debut Question

So who does Hill fight first at heavyweight? Derrick Lewis got floated, with analyst Din Thomas leaning Hill's way in that one. Poirier pitched Ryan Spann, currently No. 15 in the UFC's Meta rankings at heavyweight — a reasonable ranked test. Weidman had a spicier idea: Josh Hokit, the roster's most talked-about problem child, thanks to a mix of eye-catching cage work and comments designed to get him headlines.

Hill himself has said on his YouTube channel that he'd welcome the Hokit fight, and Weidman thinks the matchmaking makes sense for both sides. His read: Hill wants one win and a title shot, and figures heavyweight is the softer path to get there. Weidman argued Hokit would rather face a former champ than climb the top five past someone like Sergei Pavlovich — better on paper, less risk, same reward.

What a Win Would Mean

Weidman's math is blunt but hard to argue with. Beat Hokit and Hill jumps back into title contention almost immediately, given how thin the top of the division is. That's the whole pitch: skip the grind, land one marquee scalp, cash in on the name. For a 35-year-old whose last victory is more than three years in the rear-view, it's a shortcut worth taking — assuming the extra weight is muscle and not just material for more Instagram bits.

The bigger question is whether the UFC books it. On paper it's clean, it's marketable, and it gives two guys exactly what they want. Hill's the bigger name; Hokit's the hype machine. If the promotion agrees with Weidman's logic, Hill's first heavyweight fight could double as a fast-track to a belt he's been chasing since he handed his old one back.