Angela Hill: ‘I Still Want To Make My Mark’

“And I’m super lucky to be in the UFC, I’m super lucky to be able to punch people for a living. It’s something that people dream of and aren’t actually able to do. So I think my story is pretty random, and a lot of my life has been pretty random. 

“But, I think if you go for something, then something good will happen out of it. Even if it’s not what you expect, there’s still something going to be good happening, just from you throwing yourself 100 percent into something. And that’s kind of how I try to approach everything. And, if you’re not having fun, then why do it? So I definitely have fun doing what I do.”

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That last statement is clear for all to see, and Hill is making sure she enjoys every moment of her MMA career, inside and outside the cage. As well as being an exciting mainstay of the UFC’s strawweight division, she has a successful show on the UFC Fight Pass Podcast Network, “Two Straws,” with former strawweight title challenger and good friend Jessica Penne, and can also be heard on the mic commentating on the occasional Cage Warriors show.

While she’s enjoying herself outside of the cage, her professional focus remains firmly fixed on matters inside it, where she says there is still plenty more to come from “Overkill”.

“I think I just want to make my mark right now as a fighter,” she explained. 

“I still feel like I haven’t really broken into that ‘greatest fighters of all time in my division’ kind of status yet. And, you know, with the mix of wins and losses (on my record), that’s what happens. 

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“I still want to make my mark, I still want to get up there in the rankings, I still want to fight for the belt. And I feel like after that, I’ll have a good case for doing whatever I want to do, MMA-related, after. And, you know, all the people who go on to act, they’re all ex-champions. So I gotta get the belt just so I can go to Hollywood!”

Obviously, being the champion is the pinnacle of any fighter’s career, and Hill still has eyes on the top of the division. But, regardless of whether he makes it to the strawweight summit, she wants to make sure that, when she does eventually hang up the gloves, she’ll do so on a career that will leave a lasting legacy as one of the division’s most crowd-pleasing fighters.

“There’s a few who haven’t become champion and they still get that G.O.A.T. status, or top 10 G.O.A.T. status, and I want to at least be that,” she said.

“I want to fight for the title. I feel like I’ve always been in the Top 15, but never in the Top 10, so I definitely want to be up there. I want to be able to just get some big wins, get some big finishes (and) just go out with a bang. That’s my hope. 

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“I liked the way Matt Brown went out, you know? He had a great streak going, he had a handful of knockouts towards the end, and then he finally hung up the gloves and it was kind of enigmatic, but I think that’s awesome. I think that it’s super gangster of him to do it that way. 

“I would love to keep going in there (and) keep showing out – be like Jim Miller! But just keep going in there and showing up and doing that for the mature gals, and we’ll see what happens. We’ll see when I’m finally sick of it. But right now, I’m fully passionate, fully in the zone, and inspired to do more.”

Hill prides herself in her positive approach, but everyone has their low moments, and she’s no different. During those times, she’s leaned on the support of a tight network of friends to help pick her up on those down days before her own positivity starts to shine through again.

“The hard times are hard, you know? They’re really hard,” she admitted.

“But (I’m) just staying with my close-knit circle – there’s only a handful of people that I really consider my circle, and those are the people whose opinions matter. Those are the people who cheer me up when I’m down. 

“So, just leaning on that, and every time I have a rough day at training, I just look back at what was rough about it, look at what I’m grateful for, look at the reasons why I’m doing it in the first place. Like, ‘Why am I dealing with this stress? Oh, because I love it!’ You’ve just got to remind yourself sometimes that, yeah, this sucks right now, and there’s going to be valleys and peaks. And, eventually, you’re going to be out of the suck and back into the reason that you’re doing this.”

Saturday will see Hill face Pineiro in a matchup that, on paper, looks set to serve up an action-packed encounter. Hill agrees with that assessment and says there’s a reason why they’ve been selected to kick off the main card.

“I think it’s just gonna be a crazy fight. I think they’re gonna be saying stuff like, ‘Oh, we know why they used this fight to open up the main (card),’ because you know the girls always go at it. But especially the way we fight, we’re both going to be coming forward. We’re both going to be throwing bombs at each other, and I think it’s going to be a very energetic fight… at least for the first round!”

And while Hill has her own career goals still in her sights, she’s also happy to keep making the walk to compete at the highest level and prove that, at the age of 39, she can still hang with, and beat, the best. 

“A lot of people try to put labels on you, like, ‘Oh, this person’s too old. Are we going to move to the next thing?’ And it’s probably the question I got at every station today,” she said. 

“But I’m chilling where I’m at. I like where I’m at. I think I’m still very competitive with the Top Five, Top 10. So I get to prove it Saturday, and then we get to party and enjoy it after.”

Victory is the goal, but Hill has more than just a win on her mind. She’s targeting her first finish since 2020.

“Man, a finish would be awesome. I’ve been working for that finish for years, so to be able to get a finish, that would be amazing,” she said.

“On the feet, on the ground, I feel like the finish can happen anywhere. Especially with this matchup, I think there’s a lot of things that I’ve been working on that I can use against her. So, yeah, to get the finish would mean the world to me.

“It would put me in the conversation, which is what I want, to be in the conversation. I think, if anything, finishes make you jump the line, so that really is the goal. To win is always the goal, but to get a finish would be the icing, the cherry on top.”