Jamahal Hill wants to build toward future Jon Jones fight: 'He's the ultimate test'

Jamahal Hill admits a showdown with Jon Jones is on his bucket list for the future.

Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), the newly crowned UFC light heavyweight champion, knows a meeting with Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) in the short-term is unrealistic, as they are in different places in their respective careers. Down the line, however, he certainly doesn’t rule it out.

Jones was the longtime holder of the 205-pound belt currently in Hill’s possession. He never lost the strap in the cage, but rather vacated it when he decided to move up to heavyweight. It’s been a slow burn to make that move, but Jones will finally return on March 4 when he faces Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight belt in the UFC 285 headliner.

Whether Jones wins the belt or not, he is still someone Hill would like to share the octagon with. He’s not sure when or under what circumstances it would materialize, but Hill told the “Believe You Me” podcast that Jones is a key part of why he’s found so much success in MMA.

“Yeah, 1,000% – I want to eventually build to a fight against Jon,” Hill said. “He’s the ultimate test. He was from the time that I came and decided I want to make this run. At first when it started it was Anderson Silva. He was the man. It was 2010 and things like that, but when he had his injury, I kind of fell off from the sport.

“That’s another reason why I started working (a day job). I didn’t see the money in it and all of that, then Conor (McGregor) happened. But Conor got that because he had (Jose) Aldo, who had been undefeated for 10 years. He had somebody to chase. I needed somebody to chase, and this whole time I’ve been chasing Jon. I’m interested in that fight.”

In the more immediate future, Hill will look to defend his 205-pound title. He’s said he wants former champ Jiri Prochazka to be his first title challenger, but it remains to be seen in Prochazka can get healthy in time to fight by July or August, which is when Hill recently told MMA Junkie he wants to return.