SUNRISE, Fla. – Angela Hill hopes the UFC views her as a reliable commodity on the roster after she fought and won on short notice Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 8.
Hill (9-6 MMA, 4-6 UFC) stepped in as a replacement on just 10 days’ notice against Jodie Esquibel (6-5 MMA, 0-3 UFC) and came out with a unanimous decision victory after a solid performance in the strawweight bout.
Just 35 days prior to the contest Hill was also in the octagon, but it was a far different result as she succumbed to a first-round submission against Randa Markos. She wanted to put that fight behind her, so when the opportunity came up to fight at UFC on ESPN+ 8, she said she jumped all over it.
Hill has always been an advocate of fighting as frequently as possible. She said the fact she not only stepped up, but also made weight without issue and won should make her someone the UFC calls more often in such a scenario.
“I hope this proves I’m always ready to fight, I’m active every day, I’m learning every day and training hard,” Hill told MMA Junkie post-fight at UFC on ESPN+ 8. “I’m hoping this proves to the matchmakers, to Dana (White), to everyone that if you need someone to come in, I’m the person to call. I’m your huckleberry, I’m your (Donald) Cerrone. Put me in, I’m ready.”
UFC on ESPN+ 8 took place at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla. Hill vs. Esquibel was part of the early prelims, which aired on ESPN2 following more prelims on ESPN and the main card on ESPN+.
Fighting on short notice comes with all types of complications, but given the circumstances, Hill, 34, thinks it was perfect for her. She replaced Jessica Penne, who is a good friend and teammate at Alliance MMA in San Diego, Calif.
Penne had put in back-to-back camps to fight Esquibel, but unfortunately was not able to make it to the octagon for either. Hill was right by her side through all that work, though, and she said that made it infinitely easier to accept the fight and formulate a winning game plan.
“All of us have been thinking about Jodie for a few good months,” Hill said. “We know her style and I knew what I thought Jessica would be able to do to her and a lot of those things go inside how I would attack her too. When I got offered to fight her I was like, ‘OK cool. I already have a vague idea of what I want to do.’ We just went from there.”
To hear more from Hill, watch her complete post-fight scrum above.
For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 8, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
