Jamahal Hill received help from Anthony Smith in preparing for his light heavyweight title fight against Glover Teixeira, and Smith now anticipates that he may eventually face Hill in a match.
Jamahal Hill received a call to face Glover Teixeira in a UFC light heavyweight title fight at the expense of Anthony Smith. Smith was originally scheduled to face Hill in a March matchup that could have put him in title contention. However, soon after the Hill vs. Teixeira fight was announced, Smith got a call from Hill, asking if he would help him prepare for Teixeira. Smith had previously fought Texiera and had a lot of insight on the matchup. Rather than being upset about losing his opportunity, he gladly offered his help to Hill, who ultimately claimed the title in a lopsided decision win over the Brazilian.
Five months later, Smith is now preparing for his own fight against Johnny Walker at UFC Charlotte, but he is aware that there is a good chance he will be offered a chance to face Hill again in the future. “I love that guy, but no matter what, it’s going to have to happen at some point,” Smith said on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “We both know it. It’s going to happen at some point.” Smith has always maintained a friendly relationship with Hill, even before they got matched up together and became training partners.
Smith did not hesitate to accept Hill’s invitation to train together after his original matchup with Hill was cancelled. Smith added a lot to Hill’s training camp ahead of UFC 283 and did not hold any of his knowledge back. Smith does not take credit for Hill’s win over Teixeira, but he admits he gave Hill an advantage that no one else had. “Part of me feels a little bit bad for Glover because I pulled the curtain back. I took the surprise factor away and gave Jamahal an advantage that otherwise, no one else has had,” Smith said.
Smith also mentioned that Hill showed a lot of appreciation for the help he provided, which meant a lot to him and built upon their friendship. Despite the familiarity between the two fighters, Smith does not believe that it will play a significant factor in the outcome of their eventual fight. “Jamahal and I are very familiar with each other, so there’s not that weird awkward feeling-out stage, and we’ll just get right at it,” he said.