The then-undefeated Hill faced his toughest challenge to date in his next bout, No. 8-ranked Paul Craig. One of the most feared grapplers in the UFC, Craig was able to pull guard and lock in an armbar that dislocated Hill’s elbow. Despite fighting through the pain briefly, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight.
It was a quick bout, but one Hill can certainly learn from moving forward. In his next bout at UFC Fight Night: Font vs Aldo, Hill challenged No. 14 Jimmy Crute, a well-rounded opponent who has earned three victories by either armbar or kimura.
MORE DWCS SHOWCASES: Maycee Barber | Andre Muniz | Marina Rodriguez | Taila Santos | Sean O’Malley
This was the next best challenge for Hill, testing himself against someone who has won similar grappling exchanges as the one “Sweet Dreams” lost to Craig. But this fight never reached the mat. Just over 20 seconds in, Hill showed the discrepancy in power, landing a right hook that momentarily sent Crute to the floor.
Nearly 20 seconds later, Hill dropped Crute for a second time, landing a powerful check right hook right on Crute’s chin. Hill capitalized on the knockdown and landed a second vicious right hand that closed the show in under a minute.
Now it was time to break into the Top 10.
