“I’m gonna go ahead and say it now: I’m going to Heavyweight,” Hill announced on his podcast. “That’s the announcement. Breaking news. So, I’m officially going to say it. I’m going to Heavyweight. It’s been something I’ve been working on now for a few months, putting on the necessary weight and putting on the muscle and everything like that to move up. Yeah, wouldn’t it be better if I came back and won the Heavyweight title? I think double champ is better than two-time champ. I like the way it sounds.”
And as for his first opponent in his new weight class, Hill already has a name in mind: red-hot Heavyweight prospect-turned contender Josh Hokit.
“As far as Hokit goes, that’s what I want. That’s exactly the fight I want,” Hill said. “I didn’t even really know about him before he fought Curtis Blaydes — shoutout to him for making a name for himself. I have no problems with the antics at all. But yeah, 100 percent, Josh Hokit is a fight I want as my Heavyweight debut. Why not? Former UFC champion, come on. Come get some.”
But anything is possible, especially if UFC likes the name value.
“I don’t want to give a for-sure timeline,” Hill said. “I would really like to fight on the MSG card. If not, maybe headlining one of the cards towards the end of the year or something like that. That’s the plan to come back in 2026. If they can’t figure anything out with that, beginning of the year, first quarter, right at the beginning for sure.”
The former champion is currently riding a three-fight losing streak, with losses to Rountree, Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira in the UFC 300 main event.
So, yeah, a fresh start at Heavyweight might not be the worst idea.
It’s worth noting that Johnny Walker, Aleksandar Rakic, and, of course, Pereira have all left the Light Heavyweight division.
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