What’s Next For Angela Hill Following Her Split Decision Loss To Michelle Waterson?

UFC Strawweight Angela Hill dropped her second straight promotional loss by split decision in her main event bout on September 12. “Overtime” failed to earn the nod on the judges’ scorecards when she squared off against fellow veteran Michelle Waterson. Hill is now 3-2 in her last five-bouts, four of which have taken place in 2020.

Chiefly, the fight was trending in Angela’s favor from the get-go and she dictated the pace of the early rounds against Waterson. However, her success was not sustained as “The Karate Hottie” began to mount a comeback in the third round. Angela Hill will now have to reassess her options going forward if she is to make a run for gold.

Angela Hill: Where does she go from here?

The 35-year-old veteran is one of the most active fighters and continues to be a force in the division. Despite suffering another setback, she has proved to be a game opponent who can step up on the big stage. Not to mention, her stock dramatically rose after she consolidated championship grit to stay in the fight.

Angela Hill’s high activity comes with a steep cost, as she has already fought a significant number of top 10 contenders. Unfortunately, she has fallen short against key challengers who could propel her towards the title. Her best path to enter back into the win column would be to secure a fight with either Randa Markos or Marina Rodriguez.

Markos is booked to face Mackenzie Dern on September 19 and should she win, the timeline matches perfectly. Although the two have already faced off in the past, Angela will require to get back the loss. Moreover, both the aforementioned fighters are cerebral strikers who have the durability for an extended war.

On the other hand, Marina Rodriguez has gone 2-1-2 in her last five fights, recently falling to former champion Carla Esparza. She is still without an opponent and is a suitable fight for Hill based on the rankings. Rodriguez is one of the best pure strikers in the game who effectively mixes up the lethal ground offense.

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