Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamal Hill is planning to move up to heavyweight and has called out Sergei Pavlovich as a desired opponent for his debut at the new weight class. Hill has been inactive since losing to Khalil Rountree in the main event of UFC Baku over a year ago.
Jamal Hill has set his sights on the heavyweight division, publicly calling out ranked contender Sergei Pavlovich as his preferred opponent for a debut at 265 pounds.
Hill, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, has been on the sidelines for more than a year following his loss to Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main event of UFC Baku. Rountree, now ranked seventh at light heavyweight, is a six-foot-one southpaw carrying a 15-7-0 record and a 76-inch reach. He lands 3.88 significant strikes per minute at 40 percent accuracy, making him one of the more active strikers in the 205-pound division.
Pavlovich, the man Hill wants to welcome him to heavyweight, sits third in the divisional rankings with a 20-3-0 record. The 34-year-old Russian trains out of Eagles MMA and presents a physically imposing frame at six-foot-three with an 84-inch reach. A southpaw finisher, he lands 4.43 significant strikes per minute at 44 percent accuracy, numbers that place him among the most dangerous strikers in the heavyweight division.
Why it matters
- Hill moving up would add a recognizable, former-champion name to the heavyweight contender picture.
- A matchup with the third-ranked Pavlovich would immediately thrust Hill into title-contention conversation if successful.
- The stylistic clash pits two high-output southpaw strikers against each other, with Pavlovich holding a meaningful reach advantage of eight inches over most opponents and a size edge over a natural light heavyweight.
- Hill's extended inactivity means any return, let alone a weight-class jump, carries significant questions about where he fits in the updated rankings landscape.
