Jamahal Hill Victorious, Glover Teixeira Retires After UFC Title Loss

Jamahal Hill plodded towards his corner, and swiftly grasped the reality: he had just been crowned UFC champion.
Hill got the edge over Glover Teixeira by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-44) in the headline match of UFC 283 on Saturday night in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and won the empty light heavyweight title.


Hill, his coaches wrapped their arms around him and he began to cry and then yell out in triumph before Buffer read out the decision. Hill had won the fight with a dominating display of punches and head kicks, leaving Teixeira bloodied and bruised.

"Anything is attainable," Hill stated in his post-battle interview. "Determination, commitment, and responsibility. Don't let anyone tell you different. A lot of individuals told me it couldn't be done, that it was impossible. I had to do it in one round. I couldn't go for five. What do you have to say now?"

Subsequent to that, Teixeira, who had been one of the leading light-heavyweight fighters for a long time, decided to retire with 21 years in professional fighting. Teixeira will bow out his career retaining the most victories (13) and submissions (7) in UFC light heavyweight history.

This fight was swiftly arranged following UFC 282 last month after the title bout between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev ended in a draw. Jiri Prochazka had to let go of the championship in November, due to a shoulder issue, which would've resulted in a December contest between himself and Teixeira. "I believe I'm too robust for my own good, too sturdy for my own well-being," Teixeira expressed.

Hill made Teixeira suffer greatly over the course of the second and third rounds through the usage of head kicks and powerful striking combos. Even with two nasty cuts on both eyes, Teixeira still kept pushing forward. In the fifth round, he even scored a takedown and handled himself well while on top. Hill was able to sweep and get back up, leading to more damage done to Teixeira.

Hill broke the UFC light heavyweight record by landing 232 significant strikes, the fifth-highest total in a UFC fight. Teixeira's significant strikes were limited to just 75 in comparison. At the end of the match, Hill praised Teixeira's toughness and determination. "The dude is tough as bricks, man," Hill said. "I don't know anybody who can take what I throw and keep going. I heard Marc [Goddard] say keep fighting. Goddammit, he is."

Hill, the first Dana White's Contender Series graduate to become a UFC champion, has gone on an impressive streak of four consecutive victories. The 31-year-old fighter, who hails from Chicago and trains in Michigan, boasts a record of 12-1 with 1 No Contest. In his latest fight, Hill stopped Thiago Santos in the fourth round with a TKO. Of the five fights he has won in the UFC, four have been with a KO/TKO finish.

Glover Teixeira was the oldest first-time champion in UFC history when he won the light heavyweight title at UFC 267 in October 2021. However, he dropped the belt to Jiri Prochazka at UFC 275 last June in a highly-acclaimed fight. The Brazilian-born Teixeira, who currently resides and trains in Connecticut, was on a six-fight win streak prior to the loss. 

The 43-year-old wanted to ensure that respect was given to the new champion and asked the Brazilian crowd to not throw things at Hill after seeing them do the same to flyweight champion Brandon Moreno earlier in the night. Teixeira offered to walk back with the new champion, saying: “I want you to respect him. He's the champion.”