Jamahal Hill took some time to reflect on what happened at UFC 300.
UFC 300 Aftermath
The return to the top didn’t go as expected for the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, who was coming off a nasty ruptured achilles injury last summer. In Hill’s first fight back, he was knocked out by current champ Alex Pereira in an attempt to recapture his relinquished title.
Pereira wasted no time in the UFC 300 headliner, not letting the foot off the gas pedal after receiving a low blow from Hill. ‘Poatan’ continued to press forward and sent Hill down to the canvas with a follow-up left hand and that was the beginning of the end for the former champion.
Hill Addresses Fight-Ending Controversy
Daniel Cormier, among several others, have addressed that referee Herb Dean could have very well separated the two fighters instead of not getting in between them after Hill’s kick to Pereira. Hill has since given his two cents on the controversy, taking the loss on the chin with how the fight unfolded.
“I’ve seen some of the controversy, people speaking on the stoppage and things like that with Herb [Dean] after I kicked Alex in the hip, and it appeared to be a low blow. I’m just gonna say, just protect yourself at all times,” Hill said on his YouTube channel. “My feelings on it, honestly, just don’t matter.
“A lot of people didn’t like how I sold the fight. They didn’t like the build-up to the fight. They don’t they don’t like me personally. So, it’s irrelevant. I just take it as a lesson learned and just grow from it from there and just understand that, protect yourself at all times. Just protect yourself at all times and pay attention and don’t and stay focused at all times, even through anything, even through commands and through gamesmanship at that.”
“I Took No Damage”
While the matchup didn’t go Hill’s way, “Sweet Dreams” doesn’t view the KO loss to Pereira as an “ass whooping”.
Jamahal Hill is challenging MMA fans to fights on Facebook and says his fight with Alex Pereira wasn’t an ass whooping pic.twitter.com/0tmS3tb4e9
— OOC MMA (@oocmma) April 19, 2024
“I took no damage. Most of the fall was me falling down,” Hill relived. “I remember everything. I remember looking up, I remember him coming in, trying to block, trying to reach for the under hook. He’s able to land some shots and kinda throw my equilibrium off on the other side. But, I was coherent the whole time throughout and through for the most part.”
On To The Next
Looking to put his first loss in three years behind him, Jamahal Hill has already booked his next UFC fight. The #3 contender will try to rebound against rising star and another solid striker in Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 303.
Make no mistake with this booking, Hill still very much has a score to settle with the champ Alex Pereira.
“I’ll take this on. We’re moving forward. Imma go, Imma put it on this next guy, Khalil Rountree. He has to feel it. He’s gonna have to feel everything that the frustrations and whatever I feel and from what happened last week, and I’m right back at it.
“I want Alex. I want that fight again,” Hill added. “That’s the fight that that the only fight that I want at this point. I wanna get back to that fight so I can finish on that what I was showing. So, we on to Khalil Rountree. He’s a good fight. He’s on the hottest streak in the division at this point. Five fight win streak, ready, hungry. He’s been calling for a shot at the top. It’s just unfortunate now. He gets the top dog in the division, and Imma show him what the top of this division is really about.”