What does Jamahal Hill's tattoo say? A look into his body art

Most UFC fans are familiar with Jamahal Hill and his career accolades, but not with his choice of tattoos.

As a former undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion, Hill is widely respected for his skills and accomplishments but has not been immune to criticism of his physical image. Since his Octagon debut, fans have long wondered the meaning of Hill's chest tattoos and have considered it amongst the worst in MMA history.

What does Jamahal Hill's tattoo say? A look into his body art

On the chest of Jamahal Hill are two 'thumbs up' icons on opposite sides of his pectoral muscles with the word 'Northside' in between them.

Hill has never publicly explained his tattoo's meaning, leaving fans to speculate. A popular theory has to do with the fighter's background, as the 'North Side' is a neighborhood in Hill's home city of Chicago. However, it is now known if that is what Hill references or if 'Sweet Dreams' has any connection to it.

'Northside' is also a popular neighborhood in Ann Arbor, Michigan, an adjacent city to where Hill currently resides. Hill lives and trains out of Grand Rapids, Michigan — a roughly two-hour drive from Ann Arbor — but also spends considerable time in Las Vegas.

The 'thumbs up' tattoos on Jamahal Hill's chest have also not been explained but the American has given the same gesture on the scale at weigh-ins before fights in the UFC. It is not known if that is the motivation for his tattoos or if Hill attempted to mimic the image.

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Jamahal Hill will fight Alex Pereira in the UFC 300 main event

Jamahal Hill's tattoos will be on full display on April 13 when the light heavyweight attempts to regain his belt against current champion Alex Pereira at UFC 300.

Hill, 12-1, enters the fight on a four-fight win streak, last beating Pereira's friend and coach Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 to win the vacant title. Hill would suffer an out-of-camp Achilles heel injury months later and vacate the belt as his predecessor, Jiri Prochazka, did less than a year prior.

Pereira became the division's champion at UFC 295 with a knockout of Prochazka in just his 11th professional MMA fight. The win made 'Poatan' a two-division champion after previously serving as the middleweight titleholder in 2023.