"The way he behaved was not so good" - Alex Pereira explains viral celebration after knocking out Jamahal Hill
Alex Pereira successfully defended his light heavyweight title against Jamahal Hill after knocking him out in the first round.
'Poatan' is known for his extremely stoic demeanor, and the celebration he performed as he stood over his opponent has gripped the MMA world due to its uncharacteristic nature.
The Brazilian offered an explanation for his viral moment when he appeared in front of the media following the conclusion of UFC 300. He pointed to the contradicting actions of 'Sweet Dreams' throughout fight week as the main motivator for his mocking celebration.
He said this:
"I spoke with my team before, and I wanted to fight for five rounds, but if the knockout happened that [celebration] is what I was going to do. The way he behaved was not so good, he started off respectful during the week and then he did what he did during the press conference and the weigh-ins. So honestly the least I could do was that to him."
Watch Alex Pereira explain his celebration below:
Pereira's celebration after knocking out Hill took fans by surprise, as the usually-reserved fighter produced one of the more memorable photos in recent years.
Despite his tense rivalry with Israel Adesanya, 'Poatan' refrained from any real celebration after beating him via TKO at UFC 281, meaning 'Sweet Dreams' must have really gotten under the Brazilian's skin.
See the celebration below:
Alex Pereira eyes a heavyweight clash at UFC 301 in Brazil following a swift victory at UFC 300
Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill faced off in the main event of UFC 300 in a much-anticipated clash.
Prior to the anniversary pay-per-view event, 'Poatan' stated that should he defeat Hill and walk away from the fight without too much damage, he would be interested in featuring on UFC 301 in Brazil on May 4.
Following his KO victory over 'Sweet Dreams', the light heavyweight champion was interviewed by Joe Rogan, where he called for a heavyweight clash at next month's PPV card.
He said this:
"I want to continue defending this belt. I talked a lot about fighting in Brazil if I won this fight. I won this fight, nothing happened, I know there needs to be a lot of promotion behind the fight but I want to have a fight at heavyweight."
Watch Alex Pereira's interview below from 3:20: