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Jiří Procházka vs Jamahal Hill Predictions, Betting Tips, and H2H 19/01/2025

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Jiří Procházka vs Jamahal Hill Preview

Light heavyweights Jiří Procházka and Jamahal Hill clash at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California on January 19th at UFC 311. The two former champions are looking to fight back into title contention after being forced to vacate their belts through injury.

Both men enter this fight after knockout losses to Alex Pereira in their most recent bouts. Can Sweet Dreams walk the walk after his verbal jabs against BJP, or will Procházka bounce back following two unsuccessful attempts to win back the belt he never lost?

Jiří Procházka vs Jamahal Hill Prediction

Fight Prediction: Jamahal Hill via TKO

This looks very competitive on paper. Both men are former UFC light heavyweight champions and sit second and third in the 205 lb rankings. Jiří Procházka won UFC gold in 2022 in just his third fight in the promotion. His unconventional yet exciting striking style has captivated fans, and BJP still hopes to have a trilogy with Alex Pereira to regain the belt.

Jamahal Hill also technically never lost his title after defeating Glover Teixeira for the belt in January 2023. ‘Sweet Dreams’ has a more cunning approach to his striking and possesses similar power to Procházka. However, his cleaner loss record could swing this fight in his favour. Our MMA prediction is for Jamahal Hill to edge this contest on his journey back to a title fight. 

Both men enter this bout following devastating KO losses at the hands of Alex Pereira in 2024. Poatan finished Procházka for the second time in seven months in June last year. The champ knocked Hill out in April, handing him his first career loss via KO/TKO. However, the finishes are piling up for Procházka. His most recent loss was the fourth KO defeat of his career. 

Procházka has too many holes in his defence. BJP is now tagged in every fight, regardless of the result. His unconventional striking and high-octane offence may be catching up with him. Hill may not be quite as powerful as Pereira, but he still has a highlight reel of KOs of his own. He is an extremely accurate striker and will know exactly when to pick his punches. Sweet Dreams can exploit the weaknesses in Procházka’s defence on his way to victory in California.

Wrestling could also be a difference-maker in this clash. Procházka has poor takedown defence and Hill is a solid grappler. He is especially adept at tying opponents up in the clinch before throwing in sneaky knees to the body. This is probably where Hill will look to steal this fight, fighting on the inside and piercing Procházka in the clinch. 

However, there is no way that BJP goes down without a fight. He is one of the most powerful strikers we have ever seen in the UFC. All it takes is one mistake from Hill to hand the fight to his opponent, something that is not a rarity for a man who tends to fight with his chin in the air. Procházka can fight out of both stances. His unorthodox footwork and incredible striking range mean he is one of the most dangerous fighters in UFC history, no matter his opponent.

Jiří Procházka vs Jamahal Hill Fight Outcome

This fight could steal the show, even though there are two belts on the line in UFC 311.  Both men will look to finish the bout from the first round. They are two powerful strikers but must recover from devastating knockout losses in their previous forays into the octagon. We think Jamahal Hill is best equipped for that. He will welcome any recklessness from Procházka, who has been tagged frequently in his fights. We have already seen Hill punish fighters with his counter-punching.

BJP has a strike defence of just 39%, compared to 46% for Hill. Procházka absorbs 5.59 strikes per minute. That is simply too high against a fighter who boasts the power that Hill does. Sweet Dreams will be prepared for Procházka to fight on the front foot and attempt to nullify his step forward in the clinch. He has to tuck his chin more than in previous bouts, but Hill will take advantage of Procházka’s reckless offence.

Jiří Procházka vs Jamahal Hill Betting Tips

Our online bookmaker can barely separate these fighters. Jamahal Hill is the current favourite, worth 17/20. Jiří Procházka is an ever-so-slight underdog at 22/25. There is every chance these odds will flip by the time the weigh-ins come around. However, we are sticking with our prediction and like a bet on Jamahal Hill to win.

Method Of Victory

The method of victory is one of the most interesting markets in this clash. Fights as tight as this can often be tense, with both fighters proceeding cautiously. However, that is simply not in these men’s nature. Procházka has not fought to a decision in nearly nine years, and that was over two rounds. Six of Hill’s last seven bouts have finished via KO/TKO. Most of them have come within two rounds. Anyone betting on MMA can back this fight to conclude with a KO/TKO.

Over/Under

These fighters are experts in leaving the octagon early, rarely going to a decision. This fight is scheduled for three rounds. It has been over a decade since a Procházka fight has gone the distance in a typical three or five-round bout. Anyone betting on the UFC will expect a finish, which is the sensible option. Bet on this fight to go under 2.5 rounds.

Jiří Procházka vs Jamahal Hill Head-To-Head and Key Stats

Jiří Procházka enters this fight with a truckload of experience behind him. The Czech fighter made a name for himself in the famed Japanese promotion Rizin, where he won the inaugural Rizin Light Heavyweight Championship in 2019. He signed with the UFC a year later, beating former challengers Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes by a KO in the second round in his first two fights. That earned him a title fight in 2022, where he defeated Glover Teixeira by submission in the fifth round in the Fight of the Year. 

Injury forced him to vacate his title, and Alex Pereira TKO’d him decisively upon his return in November 2023. He defeated Aleksandr Rakic last April to earn another opportunity against Poatan the following June. BJP was TKO’d once again, handing him the fifth loss of his career. Standing at 6’4” with an 80” reach, Procházka has a record of 30-5-1 with an incredible 26 victories via KO/TKO. 

Jamahal Hill made his way to the UFC in 2020 after impressing in Dana White’s Contender Series. He won his debut bout against Darko Stosic via decision before winning via TKO in his second. However, that was overturned and ruled a no-contest after Hill tested positive for a banned substance. A vicious TKO of Ovince Saint-Preux followed before a shock loss to Paul Craig.

Sweet Dreams bounced back to win three fights in a row via KO/TKO, giving him a title shot. He defeated Teixeira via a decision in a Fight of the Night at UFC 283. Hill broke the record for the most significant strikes landed in a UFC Light Heavyweight bout (232) in that fight. He was forced to vacate his title through injury and lost via TKO to Poatan in April 2024 upon his return to the octagon.

The tale of the tape is virtually identical between these men with Hill standing at 6’4” with a reach of 79”. The American has a record of 12-2-1, with seven KO/TKO victories. Both of his defeats have come via TKO.

These fighters share two opponents in common, Alex Pereira and Glover Teixeira, all of those bouts being title fights. Both men were TKO’d by Pereira but overcame Texiera. Hill dominated Teixeira in their bout while BJP snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat with a submission with just 28 seconds remaining in a fight where he was down on the scorecards.

Jiří Procházka vs Jamahal Hill Full Fight Card

This fight looks to be one of the highlights of what is a strong card at UFC 311. Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will defend his title against undefeated Russian fighter Umar Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili dominated Sean O’Malley for the belt in September last year. Nurmagomedov, cousin of Khabib, defeated former contender Cory Sandhagen to earn his shot and looks to be one of the most exciting talents in the 135lb division.

Islam Makhachev defends his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan in what could be his toughest test since defeating Charles Oliveira for the belt in 2022. Tsarukyan lost to Makhachev in his debut bout in the UFC but will enter UFC 311 as a much stronger fighter than he was six years ago.

Main Card

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