Ben Askren thinks Jamahal Hill was overconfident against UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
Hill (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) was eliminated in the first round of his title fight against Pereira (10-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 300 headliner.
Although he expected Hill to knock Pereira out quickly, Askren said Hill’s antics, such as when he caught an imaginary arrow shot by Pereira for a bye, gave him false confidence. I think it might be.
Askren said on “Funky and the Champ” with Daniel Cormier, “My general feeling about that fight was, I was a little bit confident in saying that Jamahal Hill was going to be on my side. I thought it might be too much,” he said. “When he hits people, people fall down. Jamahal Hill should have been a little more concerned about that. I feel like he was overconfident. I feel like he ignored Pereira’s strength. It does.
“Honestly, I hope your friend (Hill) doesn’t get too mad at you about this. My feelings? Ego. Ego gets involved with combatants. I thought you were saying, “Hey, Jamahal, Pereira is a better stand-up fighter.” He’s going to degrade you. ‘And he said, ‘No, no, that’s not going to happen.’ We talked about the time he was struck by an arrow and broke it. …It’s about ego. I thought maybe I could harm him. ”
After Hill lost to Pereira, he immediately turned his attention to former champion Jiri Prochaska. Prochaska KOed Aleksandar Rakić on the same night.
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