Alex Pereira holds words back for Ariel Helwani's sake, in response to Jamahal Hill saying he wasn't impressed with 'Poatan's' win at UFC 307
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira recently appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show on YouTube. Speaking through his translator and coach Plinio Cruz, 'Poatan' answered interesting questions from the prominent MMA journalist.
One of the most interesting exchanges was when Helwani mentioned how Pereira's former foe, former divisional champ Jamahal Hill, wasn't impressed by his stoppage win over Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 earlier this month.
Helwani mentioned that Hill was seen on camera yawning after Pereira's utter dismantling of the No.8-ranked Rountree Jr. In response, 'Poatan' said (translated):
"I'm going to be really honest with you, Ariel [Helwani]. If that performance with Khalil [Rountree Jr.] was sh*t, where does Jamahal [Hill] rank [my] performance against him then? So, if that fight was cr*p, I mean, how can he say that? But I'm going to be honest, I'm not going to further talk about Jamahal, I have a lot of respect for your show, but [I'm] on a different level."
Check out Championship Rounds' X post featuring the conversation below:
What did Jamahal Hill say about Alex Pereira's performance at UFC 307?
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill explained why he was seen yawning right after witnessing Alex Pereira's performance against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307. Hill dropped his belt to 'Poatan' back in April at UFC 300, getting knocked out in the first round.
Meanwhile, speaking about Pereira's third straight stoppage win in 2024, 'Sweet Dreams' said:
"Nothing surprised me, it went exactly how I thought it was going to go... Nothing surprised me and nothing impressed me because that was a fight that [Pereira] should've won probably more impressively than he did... Ultimately, Alex did what he was supposed to do."
Check out Jamahal Hill's comments below (1:30):
While some would agree with Hill's assessment, his downplaying of Pereira's KO win also dampens Rountree Jr.'s gutsy performance that night. Despite being No.8 in the rankings, the American striker was able to hurt 'Poatan' and hit him in ways no one was able to at light heavyweight - including Hill himself.