"The guy seems to be a little scared there" - Alex Pereira opens up on heated ceremonial weigh-ins face-off against Jamahal Hill
Alex Pereira claimed Jamahal Hill's lack of respect throughout the UFC 300 fight week led him to change his attitude.
Later tonight, April 13, UFC 300 will conclude with Pereira looking to defend his light heavyweight title against Hill. The hard-hitting matchup was already expected to be action-packed, but an escalating rivalry between the headliners has added to the excitement of fans.
Earlier this week, Pereira and Hill shared a wholesome moment when the latter respectively asked 'Poatan' to sign his shirt. As Saturday came closer, 'Sweet Dreams' began antagonizing the UFC light heavyweight champion by talking trash and bringing props to the press conference.
Following their intense final face-off, Pereira did a backstage interview with Brazilian news outlet Ag Fight after the ceremonial weigh-ins concluded: When asked about Hill's demeanor, 'Poatan' had this to say about the title challenger:
"Man, looking there, [Hill] seems to be a little scared there. I don't know. In the middle of the week, he respects me, he said he respects me, and so on. I signed the blouse and so on, then he arrived yesterday. Either you respect me or you don't respect me. So, tomorrow he'll get what he deserves."
Pereira followed up by saying this when asked if Hill's antics have changed his level of respect for him:
"Definitely. Did you understand? I look differently now, my attitude is different. What matters to everyone is that we fight there."
Watch Alex Pereira reflected on his final face-off with Hill below:
When did Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill last fight respectively?
In April 2023, Alex Pereira was dethroned from the UFC middleweight throne due to a knockout loss against Israel Adesanya. 'Poatan' moved up to light heavyweight and took out Jan Blachowicz by unanimous decision before knocking out Jiri Prochazka for the vacant 205-pound title in Nov. 2023.
Meanwhile, Jamahal Hill last fought in Jan. 2023, defeating Glover Teixeira by unanimous decision for the vacant light heavyweight title. 'Sweet Dreams' couldn't defend his throne after rupturing his Achilles in a pickup basketball game, leading to him vacating the strap before returning at UFC 300.
Watch the final face-off between Pereira and Hill below: