Jamahal Hill doesn’t need appetizers and goes straight to the main course.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion will have an immediate title shot against current champion Alex Pereira. The two will headline a huge card on April 13th at UFC 300, considered one of the biggest MMA events of all time.
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Hill won the vacant title with a victory over Pereira’s coach, Glover Teixeira, at UFC 283 in January 2023. The Michigan native never gave up his belt to anyone, but he ultimately relinquished it to keep his division after suffering an Achilles tendon tear last summer.
Pereira will face former champion Jiri Prochaska (who went through a similar situation to Hill) at UFC 295 in November 2023, winning by TKO to claim the title.
Coming into the biggest game of his life after an injury and 14 months off, Hill was asked by Kevin Ior if he was considering playing another game in Pereira’s place to get back into shape.
“Why would another fight be better? Still a fight,” Hill replied. “Why would it be better to fight someone else for less prize money? It’s about the top of the division, so there’s a risk no matter who you fight.
“It would be insane to wait like this.”[Pereira is] But it’s more dangerous there. Is he that far ahead of everyone in the division? No, no. ”
From his chop leg kick to his powerful left hook, Pereira is one of the most feared fighters on the UFC roster today. Just seven fights into his UFC career, the Brazilian has already established himself as a two-division champion.
But Pereira’s resume doesn’t give Sweet Dreams any nightmares.
“No way. The fights he won, the fights he won, sure he won them. I had him beat Jean. [Blachowicz], but not so much…about the split decision.Jiri [Prochazka] He thought the fight was stopped early, and he thought he was losing the fight until the fight stopped early. So for me, oh, I need to tune in before I go to the fight, how about that? [a good idea]?
After hearing how “conditioning” works in other sports, such as golf, Hill continued, “I don’t play martial arts.” “You get in there and you do it. You’re used to it. It’s just like home. You get in there and you’re home right away.”
Jamahal Hill, who will relinquish his title in July, still believes he is the rightful heir to the light heavyweight title, and Alex Pereira is only holding onto the title for now.
This guy, the number one ranked light heavyweight, just doesn’t seem like the right fit for me,” Hill told The Schmo in a recent interview. [I’m] A true champion. I needed the butler to sit on the throne for a moment. He wasn’t feeling well. I think there is a policy, right? When the president gets sick or deals with some kind of issue, the vice president takes over for a while. He’s serving as president, but he’s not president. ”
We’ll find out who the real champion is when UFC 300 headlines Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill on April 13th.
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