Corey Cornelius Hill (October 3, 1978 – May 15, 2015) was an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

. In high school in Florida he won state wrestling championships on multiple occasions and was a two-time national finalist college wrestler.

Mixed martial arts career

''The Ultimate Fighter''

Hill competed as a

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

on ''

The Ultimate Fighter 5 ''The Ultimate Fighter 5'' was the fifth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. As with the show's usual format, sixteen prospective mixed martial arts fighters were secluded in a ...

'' television series. During tryouts and production of the show, he told the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

that his record was 10–0, but it was actually 2–0, both wins from amateur bouts. His first professional fight (albeit technically an exhibition) was on the show. It was scheduled against

Gabe Ruediger Gabriel G. "Gabe" Ruediger (born August 29, 1977) is a former American mixed martial artist, who competed in the Lightweight division for the UFC, WEC and Tachi Palace Fights. He is a former WEC Lightweight Champion, and former TPF Lightweigh ...

, but he was expelled from the show for failure to make weight. Instead, Hill's match was against

Rob Emerson Robert Michael Emerson (born July 30, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2002, Emerson is also a veteran of Bellator MMA, the UFC, Pancrase, and was a cast member of ''The Ultimate Fighter 5''. ...

and he won by a very controversial unanimous decision after three rounds. After defeating Emerson by decision in the preliminaries of ''TUF 5'', Hill went on to lose in the quarterfinals by a triangle choke in the first round to fellow Team Pulver teammate, and future TUF 5 champion,

Nate Diaz Nathan Donald Diaz (born April 16, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist who is currently a free agent. Diaz is most known for his time spent fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought for over 15 year ...

. Although he lost, Hill's performance validated the comments made several weeks prior by guest coach

Jeremy Horn Jeremy Graham Horn (born August 25, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist. Horn is best known for fighting in smaller American promotions, he has also competed in some of the premiere mixed martial arts organizations around the world, inclu ...

on ''Episode 3 of TUF 5'', who suggested Hill had the potential to be a dominating force in the UFC Lightweight division—even going so far as to offer to train Hill after his run on the show.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In his UFC debut at ''

UFC Fight Night 12 ''UFC Fight Night: Swick vs. Burkman'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 12'') was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on January 23, 2008, at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background ...

'', Corey Hill defeated Joe Veres with a second-round TKO. Hill followed up with an appearance at ''

UFC 86 ''UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on July 5, 2008, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The main event was between Qui ...

'' against former ICON Sport Lightweight champion

Justin Buchholz Justin Buchholz (born August 22, 1983) is a Filipino-American former mixed martial arts fighter. A professional from 2005 until 2018, he fought in the UFC, World Series of Fighting, Background Buchholz graduated from Lathrop High School (Alas ...

, who submitted him via rear-naked choke in the second round. During the '' UFC: Fight for the Troops'' event in December 2008, Hill broke his right leg while throwing a kick that was checked by Dale Hartt in what is widely considered one of the most gruesome injuries in mixed martial arts history. Recovery from the injury was expected to take 12–18 months. With regard to organizational support, Hill told Kevin Iole of

Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from STATS, Inc. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. Bef ...

: "The UFC was awesome throughout this whole thing and was so good to me, I feel indebted to them." His major sponsor, Fighter Warehouse, had paid a bonus and the XFC utilized an event which helped to raise money for the injured UFC fighter.

MMA Comeback

On January 23, 2010, Hill picked up a unanimous decision victory in his comeback fight against Jason Trzewieczynski just 13 months after his career-threatening leg injury. On March 20, 2010, Hill lost to Canadian Mark Holst via kimura submission at XKL: Evolution 1. On July 17, 2010, Hill defeated WEC Veteran

Kit Cope Kristopher Lee "Kit" Cope (born March 17, 1977) is an American Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight, Lightweight, and Welterweight divisions. A four-time professional Muay Thai World Champion, Cope also ...

at Raging Wolf 8: Cage Supremacy via triangle choke submission and on September 9, 2010, Hill lost to former WEC lightweight champion

Rob McCullough Robert Alexander McCullough IV (born May 26, 1977) is an American former Muay Thai kickboxer and professional mixed martial artist. A professional from 2001-2011 in MMA, McCullough has formerly competed for the WEC, Bellator, DREAM, the Wor ...

at Tachi Palace Fights 6 via unanimous decision. On July 14, 2012, Hill defeated Darryl Madison at Complete Devastation 5 via anaconda choke submission.

Xtreme Fighting Championships

In November 2011, Hill signed a long term multi-fight contract with

XFC Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC) is a premier international mixed martial arts (MMA) organization based in Spring Lake, Michigan, with offices throughout the United States and South America. The XFC showcases both male and female fighters, ad ...

. On December 2, 2011, Hill made his

debut getting a first round submission win over

Ultimate Fighter ''Ultimate Fighter'' - known in Japan as , is a 1992 fighting video game developed and published by Culture Brain for the Super NES. An updated version of it titled

alumni Charlie Rader at XFC 15: Tribute. On December 7, 2012, Hill lost to

& Bellator veteran

Ryan Thomas Ryan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Ryan (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) *Ryan (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia * Division of Ryan, an elector ...

at XFC 21: Night of Champions 2 via armbar submission.

Personal life

Hill attended

Springstead High School Frank W. Springstead High School is a public Hernando County high school in Spring Hill, Florida. The school opened on December 1, 1975, and had its first graduation class in 1979. In 2014, Springstead High School was ranked as #929 which was b ...

Spring Hill, Florida Spring Hill is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hernando County, Florida, Hernando County, Florida, United States. The population was 113,568 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 98,621 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 ...

. He and his wife Lauran had three children, daughter Seytia and sons Keynan and Corey, Jr. Hill lived in Spring Hill, FL. Hill also attended Colby Community College in

Colby, Kansas Colby is a city in and the county seat of Thomas County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,570. History In 1882, a post office was established near the center of Thomas County. Area homesteaders li ...

, where he was a National champ on a National Championship wrestling team, alongside

Daniel Cormier Daniel Ryan Cormier (; born March 20, 1979) is an American former professional mixed martial artist, amateur wrestler, and current commentator for the UFC. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Ch ...

, under coach Steve Lampe.

Death

On May 14, 2015, it was reported that Hill had died after suffering from sudden

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

. According to friend Jennifer Swift, he had been diagnosed with pneumonia several weeks prior. It was reported that he underwent a

lung transplant Lung transplantation, or pulmonary transplantation, is a surgical procedure in which one or both lungs are replaced by lungs from a donor. Donor lungs can be retrieved from a living or deceased donor. A living donor can only donate one lung lobe. ...

, but the

lung collapse A pneumothorax is an abnormal collection of air in the pleural space between the lung and the chest wall. Symptoms typically include sudden onset of sharp, one-sided chest pain and shortness of breath. In a minority of cases, a one-way valve ...

d. It was also reported that Hill was placed on

life support Life support comprises the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform basic ...

until his family ultimately made the decision to remove him. Despite a statement from the UFC which claimed that Hill had died, his wife, Lauran Hill, later denied that he had died. She stated: "

ill ILL may refer to: * '' I Love Lucy'', a landmark American television sitcom * Illorsuit Heliport (location identifier: ILL), a heliport in Illorsuit, Greenland * Institut Laue–Langevin, an internationally financed scientific facility * Interlibra ...

is resting and still alive, and we're praying he makes a full recovery. My husband is fighting for his life. We want him in everyone's prayers." She would not comment on statements made earlier by Hill's close friends and other family members. Hill died on May 15, 2015, at the age of 36, after suffering a collapsed lung and a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 6–9 , Jose Caceres , TKO (retirement) , Fight Time 23: Mayhem In Miami , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–8 , Marcus Andrusia , TKO (punches) , VFA: Round 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:01 ,

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles (French: ''Lac Charles'') is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcasieu ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–7 , Eric Calderon , Decision (unanimous) , USFFC 17: Hill vs. Calderon , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Beaufort, South Carolina Beaufort ( , a different pronunciation from that used by the city with the same name in North Carolina) is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–6 , Joe Fye , Decision (unanimous) , Sherman Cage Rage - MMA 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania Stroudsburg is a borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. It lies within the Poconos region, approximately five miles (8 km) from the Delaware Water Gap at the confluence of the Brodhead, McMichaels and Pocono Creeks in Northeastern Pennsyl ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–5 ,

, Submission (armbar) , XFC 21: Night of Champions 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:34 ,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–4 , Darryl Madison , Submission (anaconda choke) , Complete Devastation 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:11 ,

Altoona, Pennsylvania Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the Altoona Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The population was 43,963 at the time of the 2020 Census, making it the eighteenth most populous city in Pennsylvania. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–4 , Charlie Rader , Submission (D'arce choke) , XFC 15: Tribute , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:58 ,

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , TPF 6: High Stakes , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly, La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 2 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–3 ,

, Submission (triangle choke) , Raging Wolf 8: Cage Supremacy , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:30 ,

Salamanca, New York Salamanca (Seneca language, Seneca: ''Onë:dagö:h'') is a city in Cattaraugus County, New York, Cattaraugus County, New York (state), New York, United States, inside the Allegany Indian Reservation, one of two governed by the Seneca Nation of Ne ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–3 , Mark Holst , Submission (kimura) , XKL: Evolution 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:06 ,

Ypsilanti, Michigan Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, and ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 , Jason Trzewieczynski , Decision (unanimous) , Raging Wolf 6: Mayhem in the Mist , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Niagara, New York Niagara is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 8,378. The town is named after the famous waterfall Niagara Falls. The Town of Niagara is the neighbor to the City of Niaga ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–2 ,

Dale Hartt Dale Edward Hartt (born April 4, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist, who is perhaps best known for his three fight stint in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Hartt made his profession ...

, TKO (leg fracture) , UFC: Fight for the Troops , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:20 ,

Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville () is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-America C ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 ,

, Submission (rear naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:57 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Joe Veres , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:37 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Stryder Fann , TKO (punches) , Kickdown Classic 31 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:34 ,

Casper, Wyoming Casper is a city in, and the county seat of, Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Casper is the second-largest city in the state, with the population at 59,038 as of the 2020 census. Only Cheyenne, the state capital, is larger. Casper is nic ...

, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Corey 1978 births 2015 deaths African-American mixed martial artists American male mixed martial artists Respiratory disease deaths in Florida Deaths from pneumothorax Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Florida People from Spring Hill, Florida Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American sportspeople