Angela Hill has received her 31st assignment in the UFC. Over the past weekend, it was reported that the strawweight veteran would be taking on hard-hitting prospect Shanelle Dyer at UFC 335 in December.
The fight represents yet another gatekeeping task for Hill, who, across two stints with the promotion in nearly twelve years, has established herself as one of strawweight’s toughest outs. Dyer, however, may represent her hardest opponent yet – one who could end her career.
Before understanding why this could be the end for Hill, however, one must first take a look at her career thus far.
The Trials And Tribulations Of “Overkill”: A Brief Rundown Of Angela Hill’s UFC Career
Hill has one of the more interesting starts to a UFC career. After just a single fight, she was cast on The Ultimate Fighter 20, the season of the show that sought to crown the inaugural strawweight champion. She was submitted by eventual inaugural titleholder Carla Esparza in the first round, but defeated Emily Kagan by unanimous decision at the finale show.
Still, it was clear to many that Hill was raw and inexperienced. After dropping a unanimous decision to Tecia Torres, “Overkill” experienced just that against another future champion in Rose Namajunas, being choked unconscious in a round. She was released a month after that fight, signing with Invicta FC a week later.
In Invicta, Hill had one of the more dramatic career turnarounds in MMA history. She won four straight fights, capped off by defeating the then-dominant Livia Renata Souza for the strawweight championship. After a retention against Kaline Medeiros, she rejoined the UFC, drawing Jessica Andrade in her return to the Octagon.
That fight set a precedent for most of Hill’s opponents: win, and they would be worthy of eventually fighting for the title. Andrade challenged Joanna Jedrzejczyk in her next fight, and while she lost, it would not be her only attempt. She captured the belt in 2019 against Namajunas after having embarked on a three-win streak.
The next name to parlay a win over Hill into title contention would be Amanda Lemos, who challenged Weili Zhang. Mackenzie Dern and Virna Jandiroba both had wins over Hill by the time they vied for the belt after Zhang vacated it. Meanwhile, the likes of Denise Gomes, Ketlen Souza, and Jingnan Xiong found the challenge she presented too steep to overcome and lost.
Shanelle Dyer: A Looming “Nightmare”
This leads back to Dyer. “The Nightmare” has not disappointed since receiving her contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, knocking out Ravena Oliveira and Elise Reed. Those finishes were respectively her fifth and sixth in eight wins – which is a refreshing rarity in as decision-heavy a division as strawweight.
Because of that, Dyer should be a prohibitive favorite, but if anyone can halt her hype, it is Hill. “Overkill” is one of the division’s more durable fighters, with both her stoppage losses having come by way of submission. She is also among its craftiest, able to turn a seeming rout into a scrap, as Souza and Xiong found out the hard way.
Thus, the key for Dyer will be to end it quickly and early. She has bombs in her hands and feet, but she must also constantly move forward and push a relentless pace, hoping to break her opponent’s resolve. If she freezes, even just for one bit, it could be the opening Hill needs to create a “Nightmare” for the Brit.
End Of My Angela Hill Rant
Throughout her UFC career, Hill has established herself as one of the most prominent veteran gatekeepers the promotion has ever seen. While she herself has never found herself close to the title, many of her opponents have.
One of Hill’s more recent opponents, Fatima Kline, now finds herself arguably only one fight away from a title shot. On December 12, the world will find out if Dyer is of that same caliber.
