Powell River mixed martial arts competitor Michael Hill realized a dream when he was crowned welterweight champion after his fight at the Xcessive Force Fight Championship in Grande Prairie, Alberta, on Saturday, August 11. Hill won in a unanimous decision victory.
The five-round fight against Matt Krayco was the main event of the evening and brings Hill’s overall record to 11-4-1. It was a spirited match, according to MMA Empire reporter Joel Griffith. “It was your typical Mike Hill fight; I can’t think of a single moment that they were on the ground,” said Griffith. “They were standing and striking. Mike just landed more shots, he was more consistent, powerful and accurate, and did plenty enough to win. It ended up being fight of the night.”
Preparing for events like this requires time and massive amounts of training. During his last fight, Hill badly broke his right hand in the first round, but battled through and ended up winning. Coming back from the injury took patience.
“The first six weeks of training camp were annoying not being able to use my right hand; I had to slowly introduce it back into a glove and bag,” said Hill. “But it was also a good balance as it forced me to work on other parts of my game. Plus, it made it fun in the training room to limit my choice of weapons and figure out ways to win a fight with one arm. It makes you think a lot more.”
Winning the welterweight title is a goal Hill has worked towards and visualized since he started training.
“Winning this belt is something I set out to do since I got into this sport,” he said. “After nine years it feels like I really earned it.”
It may also prove to be a career changer, according to Griffith, putting Hill that much closer to the UFC, one of the biggest MMA promoters in the world.
“Getting a title certainly puts him right in the conversation,” he said. “He was on their radar before. Now that he has the title they’re going to be bringing in some stiffer competition for him to face.”
In an interview with Griffith, Hill named the UFC fighter he would like to challenge.
“I want Sheldon Westcott,” he said. “The guy is holding up a UFC position and he doesn’t even fight.”
Hill said he will defend his belt before Christmas this year and that his team is currently putting out calls to UFC Canada for upcoming shows.
“They could ask me to fill in anytime now,” said Hill. “We will be ready for whatever opportunity and next big challenge that lies ahead.”
For now, Hill said he is looking forward to a break and spending time with the people who matter most to him.
“I’m going to take the rest of the summer off,” he added, “and spend it with my daughter and family.”
