Jamahal Hill points out weapon in Khalil Rountree Jr.'s armory that can give Alex Pereira big trouble at UFC 307
Jamahal Hill has suggested that Khalil Rountree Jr. happens to possess a weapon that generally works well against Alex Pereira. 'Sweet Dreams' expounded upon it while breaking down the upcoming showdown between Pereira and Rountree.
Pereira is scheduled to defend his UFC light heavyweight championship against the No. 8-ranked Rountree in the headlining match of UFC 307 on Oct. 5, 2024.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill recently appeared on ex-bantamweight kingpin and current featherweight contender Aljamain Sterling's podcast, The Weekly Scraps. Hill and Sterling notably addressed the Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. fight, one that's being hailed as a striking fan's delight.
Hill feels Pereira, who usually fights from the orthodox stance, struggles against those who can strike efficiently from the southpaw stance. Hill himself is a southpaw and was dominantly defeated by 'Poatan'.
'Sweet Dreams' further implied that Khalil Rountree Jr. being a southpaw poses multiple threats against Pereira. Hill, whose own matchup against Rountree fell apart earlier this year, explained:
"The things that Khalil has going for him is -- one, he's a southpaw. Two, and he has valuable threats from southpaw. If you actually look at even his [Pereira's] kickboxing career and all that, southpaws and southpaw is a stance that gives him trouble. Can he beat southpaws? Yes. But I haven't seen him really dominate a southpaw that has multiple threats from southpaw."
Moreover, Hill seemed to suggest that as of late, Pereira's only southpaw opposition came against Jiri Prochazka, who briefly fought him from that stance. He believes Prochazka wasn't effective enough as a southpaw.
Hill also opined that Bruno Silva, who's at a considerable height disadvantage against 'Poatan', managed to trouble him by turning southpaw because he could fight from that stance.
Hill also revisited Pereira's rematch against Israel Adesanya, asserting that 'The Last Stylebender' fought from the southpaw stance when he knocked Pereira out:
"That second fight, when he fought 'Izzy', the second fight against 'Izzy', go look, which way was 'Izzy' standing. These are the things that I pay -- I pay attention to the details and things like that ... If you have weapons from southpaw, he struggles, he definitely struggles."
Watch Hill's assessment below (43:11):
Jamahal Hill on Khalil Rountree Jr.'s disadvantages against Alex Pereira
Alex Pereira is an ex-Glory kickboxing middleweight and light heavyweight champion and a former UFC middleweight champion. The Brazilian has reigned as the UFC light heavyweight champion since November 2023 and has notched two successful title defenses this year with knockouts of Hill in April and Prochazka in June.
Meanwhile, America's Khalil Rountree Jr. boasts fearsome Muay Thai and well-rounded striking. The 34-year-old also earned praise from Hill and Sterling for being a powerful fighter.
Jamahal Hill has consistently lobbied for a rematch against Alex Pereira and has maintained that he'd surely defeat him if they clash again. Speaking to Sterling, Hill lauded Pereira ahead of the Brazilian's fight against Rountree Jr.
Furthermore, Hill warned that 'War Horse' should realize that Pereira has an uncanny style of applying pressure without volume striking and advancing with an upright stance. Sterling seemingly concurred.
'Sweet Dreams' also underscored that the champion also has almost every physical advantage against Rountree, including height, reach, weight, speed, hand speed, and accuracy.