Is the UFC light heavyweight title cursed after Jamahal Hill injury?

Jamahal Hill is the latest light heavyweight champion to relinquish his title due to an injury. On Thursday night the now-former champion took to his YouTube channel that he'd suffered a serious injury that would require surgery and a lengthy recovery and would drop the title in the meantime.

“I have unfortunately suffered an injury,” Hill said. “I’ve ruptured my Achilles’ [tendon]. It’s just one of those things that happens. It’s a tough injury. It’s one that will require surgery and will require time and rehab and things for me to be out for a while. Also with that, I was given an opportunity. I was given a blessing that came at the misfortune of someone else. Jiri Prochazka was the champion, he suffered an injury as these things happen. He gave up the belt and allowed for others to not hold the division. To keep the division moving forward. To keep entertaining. To make sure the people had a champion. I’ll do the same."

“Right now, the biggest thing is focusing on my recovery, focusing on getting back to 100 percent. I need to take some time to focus on my health and make sure that I’m 100 percent and I’m the fighter that everybody knows who I am and who I’ve been since I’ve stepped into this. In order to do that, I need to focus on healing and getting ready and rehabbing.”

Hill is the second champion, in a row to suffer an injury so serious it required vacating the title.

Jiri Prochazka suffered a severe shoulder injury and dropped his title in 2022, leaving the championship vacant.

But it's not just injuries that have plagued the division as of late.

The UFC 282 title fight between former champion Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev was a bit of a shit show when they fought to a draw, leaving the vacant title still vacant. But then Ankalaev got on the mic and blasted the UFC for the judge's inadequacies. It pissed off UFC president Dana White so much that he made a title fight before the press conference was even over (something he says he never does) pulling Hill out of his fight with Anthony Smith.

Who is fighting for the UFC light heavyweight title next?

There's no telling who the UFC will put in the next vacant title shot as it appears that Prochazka is ready to make his return but the top 5 is a bit muddled at the moment. The UFC's No.1 contender at the moment is Ankalaev, but will the UFC give him another title shot after his last outburts? No. 3 is Błachowicz, but we all know he lost to Ankalaev, so that's unlikely. Then we have No. 4 Aleksandar Rakić and tied No. 5's Nikita Krylov and Johnny Walker.

We'd prefer the UFC make Prochazka versus whoever wins the Błachowicz vs. Alex Pereira fight which is set for the end of July.