Jamahal Hill has shared his perspective on Thursday’s confrontation with UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira at the UFC Performance Institute.
Tensions between Hill and Pereira escalated when they crossed paths at the UFC PI. A viral video shows them nearly fighting after a heated verbal exchange, with Pereira throwing gloves at Hill.
Fortunately, Pereira’s coach, Plinio Cruz, intervened, separating the fights and allowing the situation to cool down. The incident came after weeks of online back-and-forth between the two, adding fuel to the fire. Jamahal Hill, a regular at the UFC PI, has since offered his version of the events that nearly escalated into a physical altercation with Pereira.
Jamahal Hill Reflects on Confrontation with Alex Pereira at UFC PI and Talks Upcoming Return
In a recent episode of War Council, Jamahal Hill went and shared his account of the incident involving Alex Pereira at the UFC Performance Institute when he said;
“I was at the PI earlier, Alex was there. I had just finished working out, and he was still training, so I went up to him to talk. I told him, ‘We don’t need to be talking on Twitter, I’m right here,’”
“At first, everything was cool. I told him, ‘Don’t run to heavyweight, I’ll handle my business, and we need to run it back.’ Then, he said something to his translator, who then relayed, ‘He said you’re still sleeping, woke up and s***!’ I’m wide awake now! You can get put to sleep for real!”
“Then it turned into some fake ‘Come get the gloves, let’s go in the cage’ talk. What do we need gloves for? We’re not getting paid for that right now. I get paid to fight with gloves on. If we’re in that situation, we could throw hands right there! No need to wait, put on gloves, or any of that nonsense. But his response was just to stand there. So fine, let’s get paid for it. I’m not going to mess up my earnings because here’s the thing—if I just reached over and hit him, I could lose my next fight, any future opportunities, and deal with restrictions at the PI. We made good money the first time we fought, so why wouldn’t I make a lot more when I knock his ass out the next time?”
Earlier this year, Alex Pereira knocked out Jamahal Hill in the UFC 300 main event, a fight which was scheduled on short notice. Before that, Alex Pereira secured the vacant title by defeating Jiří Procházka at UFC 295.
Jamahal Hill is set to return to the Octagon next month against Jiří Procházka at UFC 311. Hill will be making his first appearance in the UFC octagon since his fight against Pereira. A victory over Procházka could set Hill up for a title shot in his next bout.
Animosity Builds as Jamahal Hill and Alex Pereira’s UFC Rematch Looms After Viral Clash
Alex Pereira most recently defended his UFC light heavyweight title by defeating Khalil Rountree Jr at UFC 307. From the cage side, Jamahal Hill was seen yawning in response to Alex Pereira’s victory, which sparked a heated reaction from the champion.
Jamahal Hill wants a rematch with Pereira, but Magomed Ankalaev, on an unbeaten streak, is likely next. Pereira is expected to face Ankalaev for his next title defense, though the timeline is uncertain.
What is undeniable, however, is the lingering animosity between Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill after their UFC 300 fight. With their viral altercation adding more fuel to the fire, a potential rematch now seems even more anticipated than before.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
