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UFC Vegas 48: Jamahal Hill and Johnny Walker take headline slot
A shuffling of the pack sees a slightly rejigged card for UFC Vegas 48, but a lot remains at stake with several fighters looking to leave their mark on their respective divisions.
The changes now mean Jamahal Hill v Johnny Walker has been bumped to a five-round bout as the pair step in to take the headline slot, with visa issues putting Rafael dos Anjos v Rafael Fiziev on hold until UFC 272 on March 5.
We preview this weekend’s action below.
Hill and Walker go head-to-head
Hill’s last outing resulted in an impressive early KO win over top prospect Jimmy Crute, getting him back to winning ways after Paul Craig put an end to his undefeated start to his UFC career.
Hill, who has racked up five KOs in his 11 fights thus far, admits making mistakes in his loss to Craig, but reaffirmed his commitment to playing to his strengths ahead of his match-up with Walker. Hill to finish with a KO is 8/13.
Hill’s opponent, and one-time hot prospect, Walker has recently hit a skid in his career, going 1-4 in his last five fights. The Brazilian seems to be aware of his recent short-comings and looked to make a positive switch in his career, moving to John Kavanagh’s gym in Dublin ahead of his KO win over Ryan Spann in September 2020.
However, Walker’s record took another set-back in his most recent fight, with a points loss to Thiago Santos in October, but not all was lost. Walker looked calmer, approaching the fight with more patience than we’ve seen before, abandoning the attempted flashy finishes that were a signature of his budding UFC career. Although he didn’t pick up the W, the Brazilian showed a more mature side to his game, which has given him a platform to build from as he aims to get his career back to winning ways.
Hill is also working to get things back on track, although from a slightly different angle. On a seven-fight winning streak (discounting one NC), the American came up short in the aforementioned fight against Craig, making the mistake of falling into the BJJ black-belt’s guard, ending in a dislocated arm and his first notch in the loss column. Hill managed to get back on the horse with an impressive win over top prospect Crute, earning a Fight of the Night bonus in the process.
Competing in one of the most stacked divisions in the promotion, both Hill and Walker will be well aware that a result puts them in contention for a place in the top 10 rankings. Fellow top 10 hopefuls Craig and Nikita Krylov face each other next month, putting a greater emphasis on the need for a win.
What’s more, both fighters have a penchant for keeping things away from the judges. Just 20% of their combined 35 fights have gone the distance. This one is 1/4 not to go the distance. Walker to claim victory, meanwhile, is 23/10, with Hill priced at 1/3 for glory.
Newcomer takes on Hall of Famer
Further down the card, veteran Jim Miller plays the role of gatekeeper, facing newcomer Nikolas Motta, who will be finally making his UFC debut.
Motta can make a name for himself with a win over Miller, who holds several impressive records in his 13-year career in the UFC, including most fights in the promotion’s history, most wins and most submissions in lightweight history.
Miller is sitting at 11/4 to finish the fight with a submission, while Motta is 19/10 to put down a marker in the division with a KO on his debut.
