2023 was a year of highs and lows for light heavyweight Jamahal Hill. The American fighter claimed the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 283, his first title in the promotion. Fast forward to the end of the year, and Hill’s fortunes had completely reversed.
Hill ruptured his Achilles tendon during UFC International Fight Week, the promotion’s flagship event. Sadly, Hill was forced to vacate and wouldn’t return to action until April of the following year. Headlining the historic UFC 300, Hill had the chance to reclaim his title against Alex Pereira. But it wasn’t to be for Hill, who was knocked out in the first round.
But it wasn’t just professional lows that hindered Hill in 2023 (and beyond). His personal life was mired in controversy too.
In November 2023, Hill made headlines again for all the wrong reasons. Hill was arrested after a domestic altercation with his brother James, caused by a heated verbal argument. The former UFC champion was officially charged with aggravated domestic assault. However, there were conflicting reports over who started the argument and who threw the first punch.
As per the police report, James had agreed to clean Jamahal’s house for $300. But an argument ensued when James discovered the condition of the UFC star’s home.
Wreaking of rotten food and the electricity not working, the argument intensified when Jamahal allegedly removed his shirt, invaded his brother’s personal space, and punched him. The physical altercation led to ‘significant swelling’ on James’ face as well as the loss of a tooth.
According to reports obtained since the incident, James incensed the UFC star with a series of personal jabs at his fatherly conduct, including accusing Jamahal of abandoning his own daughter. Despite being physically assaulted by his brother, James debated whether to call the police regarding the incident.
James recognized that news coverage of the incident could potentially destroy his brother’s UFC career. However, Jamahal’s refusal to respond to his brother’s text regarding the incident ultimately led to him reporting him to the police.
If Jamahal had apologized and explained his reasoning for punching James, the incident might’ve been swept under the rug. However, Jamahal’s perspective of the incident might explain why he ignored his brother’s messages.
Hill accused brother of starting the fight
Addressing the incident on his YouTube channel, Jamahal Hill’s recollection of the altercation didn’t match up with that of his brother’s.
“He tried to hit me, like he literally took a swing at me,” revealed Hill in the video. “I rolled [away from] it, slipped and missed and I grabbed him. When I grabbed him, I grabbed him in a clinch, I pulled his head down, grabbed his arm, pulled his head down, and I pushed him backward to where he stumbled back into the kitchen.”
With the physical altercation spiraling out of control, the mother of Jamahal’s children tried to intervene. As Jamahal reveals, this led to her being accidentally hit by James.
“My kid’s mom, who was standing in the living room, she comes in and is like, ‘What are y’all doing?’ She gets in between us. When she gets in between us, she puts her back to him and turns and pushes me. But when she pushed me, I’m assuming that was the time where he thought was his best chance to swing again. And he swings at me again.
“Only this time he punches my kid’s mom in the head. Like full blown, bop right upside the head. She goes down and I’m like, ‘What the f**k?’ My reaction: just jab. I jabbed him one time in the face. When I jabbed him, his eyes rolled, he stumbled back and his girl caught him.”
While Jamahal Hill did physically hit his brother, the incident is clearly not an open-and-shut case. Jamahal has also since criticized MMA fans for accusing him of being the perpetrator in the incident.
Regardless of who is deemed to be the perpetrator, Jamahal will be looking to put both his personal and professional troubles behind him in 2025. After being rescheduled twice, Hill will finally face former light heavyweight title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC on ABC 8 on June 21st.
