Jamaal Hill vs Thiago Santos Prediction

After the departure of Jon Jones from the light heavyweight division of the UFC, for a certain time the roster froze in anticipation of the arrival of new stars. And with the advent of Jamal Hill, the situation changed a bit, as this skilled puncher began to make his way to the top of the rankings, knocking out almost every opponent.

At UFC on ESPN 40, he faces the most important test of his current career against league veteran Thiago Santos. And already on August 7, these most dangerous drummers will share the octagon in Las Vegas, where the next contender for getting into the TOP-5 weight division will be determined. And, despite the balance of power in favor of Hill, Thiago is not the kind of guy who should be discounted.

• Jamaal Hill vs Thiago Santos;
• Jamaal Hill;
• Thiago Santos;
• Comparative analysis;
• Game Totals Prediction.

Jamaal Hill vs Thiago Santos

Jamaal Hill

This guy rounds out the top 10 in the UFC light heavyweight division. He is a basic striker with a blue belt in BJJ who started his career in MMA as a heavyweight. On account of his title of the regional promotion KOP, as well as a couple of bonuses from the leadership of the major leagues for striking knockouts in the last two performances.

Hill climbed to such a high level through the Challenger Series, after which he already managed to go through a number of big names, including young prospects and league veterans. So far, his assertiveness and impressive punching power has been enough to give out quick wins and take additional cash to his account.

Strengths

This athlete's kickboxing is an excellent weapon for crushing the opposition. But without the amount of work that Hill does in the cage, he wouldn't have that much power. A huge number of thrown punches, an accentuated drying of the body, as well as a pumped clinch allow Jamaal to feel free at almost any distance. In addition, he shows himself great in finishing off the net and on the ground.

Weaknesses

Everything related to wrestling is not about him. Even not the strongest parterists transferred Hill to the ground, and due to the fact that the American starts are always extremely rapid, by the 3rd round he begins to slow down and almost completely ignore the advice of the corner. Hands down low and belief in one's own invincibility lead to the fact that "Sweet Dreams" often misses very obvious blows.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Jamaal is 31 years old and is currently on a two win streak over Jimmy Cool and Johnny Walker, both suspended in the first round. Prior to that, Hill suffered his first career loss at the hands of Paul Craig, gave a technical knockout in a fight with Ovince Saint Preux and won Klidson Abreu, despite the fact that after the result of the meeting was canceled due to an anti-doping policy violation. Obviously, the Grand Rapids native is on the rise now, his fights are getting brighter, and his technique is replenished with new elements. Therefore, in the context of the coming confrontation, there is no doubt about his physical capabilities.

Thiago Santos

The Brazilian "Hammer" occupies the 6th line of the ranking, and is a representative of shock sports. Around his waist are a black belt in Muay Thai and a purple belt in BJJ. In the MMA leagues, Thiago could not achieve great heights, but he became a contender for the UFC title, however, the meeting with Jon Jones was unsuccessful for him.

Along the way, Santos met a lot of top opponents: Jan Blachowicz, Anthony Smith, Jack Hermansson, when he was still a middleweight, and many others. And, despite the lack of championship belts, his collection has a lot of awards for "Fight of the Night", as Thiago's style is tied to ferocious attacks and exchanges.

Strengths

The obvious trump card of the Brazilian is the percussion technique, or to be more precise, Muay Thai. All kinds of kicks, floor work, combinations using elbows and knees, backed up by physical power, become a real problem for his opponents. Of course, as an attacking link on the ground, he is also good and ground and pound Thiago has a place to be.

Weaknesses

Once on his back, Santos has always had difficulty getting up from under an opponent, and has never been particularly good at improving his position in a fight, but for his level of BJJ, this is no wonder. In addition, the “Hammer” is showing itself worse in defense, and if earlier it was deadly dangerous to get close to him, now Tiago’s younger and faster counterparts are successfully ahead of him in many episodes.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Santos is already 38 years old, and his statistics in 5 extreme fights look depressing - 4 losses and only one victory by decision of the judges. From a formidable finisher, he gradually turns into an average veteran who lost to all the tops: John Jones, Glover Teixeira, Magomed Ankalaev and Alexander Rakich, but was able to pass the downed pilot - Johnny Walker. The power of Thiago has not disappeared anywhere, he is still dangerous and can periodically explode with multiple attacks, but the fighter has seriously lost in speed and reaction, therefore, against the background of current prospects, he looks less profitable than before. And yet, the Brazilian swan song has not yet been sung.

Comparative analysis

Let's start with anthropometric data, as they will be of great importance in this fight, due to the similarity of the styles of the athletes. In this component, Jamaal will have a noticeable advantage: 5 cm in height and 8 cm in arm span. These strikers set different accents during the fight: if Thiago prefers to land almost half of his punches on the legs and body of his counterparts, then Hill launches about a third on the middle tier, and pays minimum attention to low kicks. At the same time, the American brings almost 2 times more accurate blows to the target every minute, and joins the fight right away, unlike the more measured Brazilian.

However, Jamaal is good at number one, and it is not easy for him to reveal his full potential by walking backwards. But Tiago is universal in this regard, and his lightning raids, as well as retaliatory counterattacks, can bring a number of inconveniences to the counterpart. In general, due to the greater aggression and amount of work, Hill will have good chances to outbid the opponent in the first half of the meeting, but let's not forget that Santos is more skilled on the ground, so this option will remain in his reserve until the very end of the fight. Summing up, we note that in general, the veteran is convenient for Jamaal, since it is realistic to fight him at long and medium distances, especially considering the difference in the guys' speed limits.

Jamaal Hill vs Thiago Santos Fight Prediction

Young prospects are gradually pushing the old guard out of the rankings, and Santos is a great opportunity for Hill to gain a foothold in the top. However, Thiago is not as easy as it seems, and in this fight the American will have to be more careful than ever. The “Hammer” is still hardy, it lasts for 25 minutes of the fight, but Jamaal participated in such a race only once in his entire career, and the lack of craving for arms raised high does not promise him an easy walk with such a seasoned veteran. Due to higher speeds and footwork, he can avoid Thiago's attacks, if only he does not play too much. And in this clash, it is more reasonable to bet on the favorite, because it has all the qualities that the opponent has, but youth, an unbroken jaw, good reaction and timing are added to them. Therefore, with the alignment of forces 60 to 40, I recommend betting on his victory. Install the 1xbet app and place a bet on the favorite!

Prediction: Jampal Hill win