UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is set to defend his title against ex-champion Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 on April 13 in Las Vegas, but does not consider Hill to be the second-best in the division, ranking him at least fourth.
Alex Pereira is set to defend his UFC light heavyweight title. His opponent? Ex-champion Jamahal Hill. The showdown is the main event of UFC 300, scheduled for April 13 in Las Vegas. But Pereira doesn’t see Hill as the second-best in the 205-pound category.
Pereira, known as “Poatan”, was on The MMA Hour recently. The topic of discussion? His upcoming clash with Hill. When asked if Hill was the best in the division after him, Pereira had a surprising response.
“Hill? Nah, he’s not second,” Pereira stated in Portuguese. “I’d place him somewhere else, maybe fourth. If I had to choose the best fight for me among Hill, Jan Blachowicz, and Jiri Prochazka, I’d pick Hill.”
Pereira’s record since leaving the UFC middleweight division is impressive. He’s 2-0, having defeated Blachowicz and knocked out Prochazka for the vacant belt. And he’s just signed a new eight-fight UFC contract.
In a discussion about other potential challengers, Pereira mentioned Magomed Ankalaev. He’d like to face him one day, just to shut up the critics and doubters. “Ankalaev would be a good fight. Lots of chatter about that one,” Pereira said. “I’d like to prove a point, not to fans, but to so-called experts. They don’t know how I train. A fight is a fight, but it’d be nice to show them I’m good on the ground too.”
Pereira, a former two-division kickboxing champ in GLORY, is now the UFC’s 205-pound king. He’s also a former 185-pound titleholder. He’s confirmed he’s agreed to headline UFC 301 on May 4 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. But when given the chance, he chose to headline UFC 300 due to its historic significance.
“Poatan” also revealed that fighting in the U.S. suits him better. He lives and trains with Glover Teixeira in Danbury, CT. He’s even willing to fight at both UFC 300 and UFC 301 within a 21-day span, provided he’s injury-free post-UFC 300.
As for Hill, he had to give up his title after an Achilles tendon rupture in July 2023. He’s making a comeback less than a year later. Pereira had doubts about Hill’s recovery timeline and whether he’d be ready for May 4. Now, UFC 300 means three fewer weeks to prepare.
“Hill took the fight, so I guess he’s good,” Pereira said. “Only he knows. If he’s ready, let’s do it.”
Pereira didn’t predict the outcome of his fight with Hill at the T-Mobile Arena on April 13. But he’s confident. He won’t underestimate Hill, though.
“I aim to win, of course,” Pereira said. “I don’t know how it’ll go down – decision, knockout, whatever. I just want to win. Some fighters talk like there’s no other outcome. But in fighting, you either lose or win. I know that. It’s good to know that. If I think I always win, I could get frustrated. Same if I think the next fight will be easy and it turns out tough. I understand the reality. You either lose or win. And what do I want? I want to win.”