Jamahal Hill found out about headlining UFC 300 just a day before it was announced to the public.
In a surprise announcement on Saturday, Dana White revealed that Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) will face light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) on April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
With the UFC scrambling to secure a main event for UFC 300, Hill shared that he received a last-minute offer which he promptly accepted.
Jamahal Hill Talks UFC 300 Headliner With Alex Pereira
“Everybody wants to be on UFC 300, but realistically it didn’t really come on my radar and didn’t really happen until like yesterday,” Hill told Sportsnet. “I’m not even going to lie – like, yesterday, when he called me, and he let me know the situation.”
According to Hill, the UFC preferred him to face Pereira for the main event, a matchup fans have been eager to see for months.
“Basically the situation was they needed a main event. They had some things lined up but they would have preferred it be me and Alex. It was the first option, it’s what they really wanted. The people definitely wanted it, that’s what people have been asking me for months now, all week. Yeah, it made sense.”
Returning after a setback due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, Hill relinquished his belt. Pereira secured the vacant belt by knocking out Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295, setting the stage for a highly anticipated rematch.
Hill Honored to Headline
“I’m looking forward to the challenge,” Hill said. “The challenge of Alex has become huge. He’s done incredible things – two-division champion in the UFC in seven fights, quickest to ever do it. So I just want to get in there and see how I match up against him.”
Despite the short notice, Hill feels honored to headline such a historic event.
“It means a lot, just even being considered for it and them asking me to do it is huge,” Hill said. “It’s putting a lot of trust in my abilities and how I’m able to show up to put me at the helm of a card like that, and I appreciate that.”
How do you see this main event unfolding? Let us know in the comments!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
