Jamahal Hill is coming off a knockout loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 300 and is looking forward to facing Khalil Rountree at UFC 303.
As the fight progressed, Hill repeatedly criticized those who doubted his ability to defeat Pereira, and things even got heated between the two at the UFC 300 press conference. Now, after a heartbreaking loss to the reigning division champion, Hill isn’t going to dwell on the defeat and is eager to get back in the win column.
“So I’ve been dealing with it by just moving on,” Hill told Middlesey. “At the end of the day, fighting is what I do, it’s not who I am. It’s not what my life is all about, you know? It’s very important to other areas of my life. It’s been a blessing. I need to focus on that and understand that this is not the end of the road for me. Yeah, it sucks. Yeah, I’m disappointed. As I have seen, this is an opportunity for me to encounter adversity, take on it, and achieve other successes through it.”
The former UFC light heavyweight champion is scheduled to face Rountree at UFC 303 and is eager to return to fighting ‘Poitan.’
In the same interview, Hill also gave his thoughts on Pereira’s potential next fight against Magomed Ankalaev. According to Contender Series alumnus Dana White, Ankalaev has the tools to dismantle the two-division champion.
“That’s part of the reason I wanted to go back right away, I didn’t want Magomed to contact me.” [Alex] First of all,” Hill said. “Magomed’s attitude is a problem for Pereira. Pereira doesn’t fight well against southpaws, but that sequence is kind of pointed out. He doesn’t take angles, he doesn’t pursue. He’s a southpaw. He doesn’t play very well against his opponent. Magomed is a southpaw. He has a very grapple-heavy approach. He has decent shot selection and is good on his feet. So, yeah, I’d probably go with Magomed. I will support you.”
