Black History Month focuses on the often-neglected accomplishments of the Black community. Although history is concerned with matters of the past, we live in times when the future’s history is being made right now in the present day.
MMA has seen some great fighters come from the Black community and, right now, there are still several names that will be recognized for their contributions to the overall history of the sport. This year’s Black History Month Series will feature reads on such fighters.
Angela Hill is a name that is familiar to many fight fans around the world, and that is with good reason. Her nickname being “Overkill” is a fitting one for the strawweight who is always ready to step up and always puts on her best performance inside the cage.
Hill’s early life saw her receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Cooper Union School of Art before working as an animator and a bartender. In 2013, she had her first fight - and it was actually a Muay Thai fight. Hill managed to get the unanimous decision victory in that fight against Monique Travis. In 2014, Hill made her move to MMA and successfully began her professional career and it didn’t take long for her to get to the UFC.
Season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter was a special one, as it was the first to feature only female fighters. The stakes were also high as the tournament would be used to determine the UFC’s first ever women’s strawweight champion. Hill was a part of Team Melendez and lost via submission against the eventual tournament winner Carla Esparza. At the Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale, Hill found herself as the opening bout of the early prelim card against Emily Kagan. She managed to get the unanimous decision victory in that fight, and that began her tenure with the promotion.
In 2015, Hill found herself unsuccessful in bouts against Tecia Torres and Rose Namajunas, leading to her release from the promotion. Following that brief UFC stint, Hill kicked off 2016 by making her move to the all-female promotion Invicta FC. During her time over at Invicta, Hill went on to be undefeated and even went on to capture the Invicta FC Strawweight championship from previously-undefeated Livia Souza.
Eventually, the UFC came calling once more and Hill has been with the promotion since 2017. Although Hill has traded wins and losses throughout her career, she has become known for all the right reasons. The two major focal points of Hill’s career are her perseverance, as well as her consistency and dedication.
Hill is less than a decade into her professional career, and she already possesses so much experience. She has experienced victory, and she has experienced loss. Instead of letting that break her down, she has continued to better herself and always bounces back ready for the next challenge ahead.
Every MMA year that comes and goes, one thing is always for sure: Angela Hill will always be seen. Hill seems to make it a mission to get on a fight card at least three times a year and, even when fights are canceled, she will make sure she fights someone!
Add to her being the first African American female UFC fighter, Angela Hill continues to make an impact on the sport of MMA all around. Hill has also started moving into a role of becoming a prominent voice in MMA as a co-host of the “What Had Happened Was” podcast, alongside UFC anchor Karyn Bryant.
For many years to come, Angela Hill’s name will be brought up in conversations of being one of the most dedicated and passionate fighters of all time, and her being an African American woman just makes it even greater. Hill’s contributions (both current and forthcoming) to the world of MMA are enough to solidify her status as a legend in the making, and certainly contribute to Black history.
