Skip to main content

UFC champ Alex Pereira scoffs at Jamahal Hill's KO prediction: 'He will go on the ground, as well'

UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira expects Jamahal Hill to resort to grappling like most of his past opponents.

At UFC 295, Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) knocked out Jiri Prochazka to claim the vacant light heavyweight title that Hill relinquished after he ruptured his Achilles tendon. Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) is expected to challenge Pereira for the title in his return, and “Poatan” suggests he might be his most favorable matchup at 205 pounds.

“I think I proved myself in the light heavyweight division with the fight against Jiri, winning the title, and obviously as well with the fight against Jan Błachowicz,” Pereira said on his YouTube channel through an interpreter.

“If I would compare these three fighters – Jamahal, Jan and Jiri – and someone would tell me, like, ‘Hey, choose one you would like to fight,’ I would choose Jamahal because I think he’s a good opponent for me.”

Hill vowed to put Pereira to sleep when they fight. However, the former two-division Glory Kickboxing champion doubts the fight stays on the feet for too long.

“I think it’s just a little bit over or too much, as well, looking at my story, my history in kickboxing to say I will stand striking, and I will knock him out and whatever,” Pereira continued.

“Because finally all the people are always trying it, and I’m sure he wants to strike, but when he sees it’s not working, he will go on the ground, as well, and this is what happened in the other fights too. I think Jamahal is a good fight for me, and I think he was a little bit over with his statement.”



from MMA Junkie https://ift.tt/nc5kGtr
via IFTTT

Popular posts from this blog

Video: Oli Thompson lands devastating first-round knockout punch on Aleksei Oleinik in Russia

Aleksei Oleinik returned to action for the first time since his UFC exit, but things did not go in his favor. In the main event of REN TV Fight Club at Dynamo Volleyball Arena in Moscow, Russia, Oleinik (60-17-1 MMA) faced fellow UFC veteran Oli Thompson in a heavyweight bout. The result was a violent finish that left Oleinik staring up at the lights. Thompson (21-16 MMA) unleashed a crushing right hand that sent Oleinik crashing to the canvas with 35 seconds remaining in the opening round. Check out video of the finish below (via Twitter ): Oli Thompson destroys Alexey Oleynik with a massive right hand in the first round pic.twitter.com/AdWy25dQxR — caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) May 26, 2023 Thompson, 43, returned to the win column for the first time since 2020, snapping a four-fight losing skid. His last victory was also a first-round stoppage; a 23-second knockout of Szymon Bajor at Fight Exclusive Night 28 on June 13, 2020. Oleinik, 45, competed in his final UFC bout in Octo...

UFC's Ilia Topuria no longer interested in Paddy Pimblett: 'As a fighter we all know he's not worth anything'

MIAMI – Ilia Topuria has lost interest in a potential fight against Paddy Pimblett . After several shots at each other in interviews and on social media, a scuffle in a hotel lobby , and a post-fight callout in the octagon, Topuria said he is done trying to get a fight against Pimblett. Now highly ranked and with his sights on the UFC featherweight title, Topuria believes he’s past Pimblett and fighting him would be taking a step back. “Paddy, you know what happens with Paddy?” Topuria said in Spanish at a media day this past Saturday . “He’s a person that media attention wise, he’s big. But as a fighter we all know he’s not worth anything. He’s not even ranked. He hasn’t done anything. “So giving merit to a person that’s only where he is because he knows how to sell himself well, I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. We’re athletes. In the UFC, the difference between them and other organizations is that here what’s valued is the sport and Paddy, sporting wise, hasn’t achiev...

Logan Paul, KSI to fight (separately) as part of Misfits Boxing 'The Prime Card'

Logan Paul and KSI will top an upcoming Misfits Boxing card entitled “The Prime Card,” they announced Friday on social media . The event takes place Oct. 14 at AO Arena in Manchester, England and streams on DAZN pay-per-view. Opponents for the two influencers-turned-boxers have not yet been announced. It is unclear if the bouts will be professional or exhibition. Paul, 28, has not competed in a professional boxing match since he fought and lost to  KSI in November 2019. The bout was a rematch of an August 2018 amateur fight which ended in a draw. In June 2021, Paul competed in an exhibition bout against Floyd Mayweather and went all eight rounds in a non-scored bout. While he’s been relatively inactive in boxing, Paul has thrilled fans with his athleticism in intermittent appearances in pro wrestling bouts for WWE. KSI, 30, has competed four times since the pro bout against Paul. All four of those matches were exhibitions. KSI won three of them inside the distance, while a f...