Jamahal Hill determined to rematch Alex Pereira after shutout defeat at UFC 300, says "It's not even about the gold strap" anymore
Jamahal Hill was unable to reclaim the light heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 300, suffering a first-round knockout loss to Alex Pereira. It marked just the second loss of his mixed martial arts career. The No.3-ranked light heavyweight recently revealed that he is determined to rematch 'Poatan' and has more interest in the fight than recapturing the title.
Speaking to The Schmo on his self-titled podcast, 'Sweet Dreams' stated:
"Honestly for me, now it's not even about the gold strap, it's about getting back to that fight. I wanna fight with Alex again, just because of the narrative surrounding it. I know what I was feeling in there, and I know what type of timing it's really on whenever we step in there again so I just want to get to that fight. That's the fight that I really want."
After claiming that a rematch is more valuable than getting the light heavyweight title, Hill was asked what should be next for Pereira, responding:
"I don't care. All I know is that Jamahal 'Sweet Dreams' Hill is in his future, for sure, again... I don't give a s**t, Schmo. If we got to do it at 205 or heavyweight, he's got to see me again. That's the only fight that I care about for him in the future."
Check out Jamahal Hill's comments on facing Alex Pereira below:
Hill has already booked his next bout as he is set to face Khalil Rountree at UFC 303, which will take place during International Fight Week in June. A victory could put him in a position to receive another title opportunity shortly.
Jamahal Hill weighs in on UFC 300 time-out controversy
Jamahal Hill's UFC 300 loss to Alex Pereira was not without controversy. After 'Sweet Dreams' appeared to land a groin shot, Herb Dean called for a time-out, however, the referee was waved off by 'Poatan'. The No.3-ranked light heavyweight appeared to let his guard down and was quickly knocked out, with many claiming that the distraction led to the finish.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Hill discussed the incident, stating:
"I'm just going to say, just protect yourself at all times, you know. Wow, my feelings on it honestly don't matter you know, just for the simple fact that a lot of people didn't like how I sold the fight... So, it's irrelevant. I just take it as a lesson learned and just go from it from there... I took no damage... I remember everything, I remember looking up seeing his legs, I remember him coming in... I was coherent the whole time."
Check out Jamahal Hill's comments on the UFC 300 time-out controversy below (starting at the 2:25 mark):
Pereira waving off Dean and quickly knocking out his opponent made for a great highlight. It is unclear, however, why the referee listened to the fighter and did not separate the two, even momentarily.