UFC: Jamahal Hill vacates light heavyweight title due to injury
- Published
Jamahal Hill won the title in January by beating Glover Teixeira in Brazil
Jamahal Hill has vacated the light heavyweight UFC title after rupturing an Achilles tendon.
Hill, 32, beat Brazil's Glover Teixeira in January to win the belt and was on course to fight former champion Jiri Prochazka in the near future.
But in a YouTube video, external, an emotional Hill announced he would be undergoing surgery on his ankle.
"It's a tough injury," the American said. "If I had my choice, would I like to give up the belt? No, I wouldn't.
"You've got to be consistent, and I understand the business so the show must go on. I'm not exempt from that."
Hill says he has been promised an immediate title fight once he returns from the injury lay-off, which could be as long as six months.
He is the second successive light heavyweight champion to be forced to vacate his title after Prochazka did the same last November.
The Czech fighter suffered a serious shoulder injury and has still yet to return to action.