-
Andreas Hale, ESPN
Former light heavyweight champions Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill are set to clash on Jan. 18 at UFC 311 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.
The UFC announced the matchup during the UFC Macau postfight show.
Prochazka and Hill are looking to get back into the win column after each suffered knockout losses to champion Alex Pereira.
Hill (12-2) fell to Pereira in his attempt to reclaim the light heavyweight title at UFC 300 in April. Hill won the vacant title in January 2023 but was forced to vacate when he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon playing basketball during UFC International Fight Week.
Following his loss to Pereira, Hill was booked to face Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 303 in June. Rountree was forced out due to taking a banned substance and was replaced by Carlos Ulberg, but Hill also withdrew due to injury.
Prochazka (30-5-1) was stopped in the second round when he faced Pereira for the 205-pound championship at UFC 303. The Czech fighter defeated Glover Teixeira in June 2022 for the title but was forced to vacate when an injured shoulder sidelined him for over a year. He faced Pereira for the vacant title in 2023 and lost by knockout.
After bouncing back with a win against Aleksandar Rakic, Prochazka lost in his second attempt against Pereira.
Prochazka and Hill are ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in the light heavyweight division by the UFC, and a win would likely put them in line for a future title opportunity.
There is no main event set yet for UFC 311, though it has long been rumored to be headlined by Islam Makhachev defending his lightweight championship against Arman Tsarukyan.