Tag: Jamahal Hill

UFC 311 news: Jamahal Hill vs. Jiri Prochazka set for battle of former champions

A big light heavyweight fight is set for the first UFC pay-per-view of 2025.

A big light heavyweight matchup is on the docket for Southern California on the first UFC pay-per-view event of 2025.

Former champions [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] and [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] will square off at UFC 311, which takes place Jan. 18 at Inuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.

The matchup was announced during the UFC Fight Night 248 post-fight show Saturday, and by Prochazka (30-5-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC).

Hill (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) rose to championship status in January 2023 to win the promotion’s light heavyweight title when he defeated Glover Teixeira at UFC 283. However, he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in a UFC fighter pickup basketball game that caused him to vacate the title. At UFC 300 in April, Hill returned vs. champion Alex Pereira and was knocked out in the first round. He was then scheduled to fight Carlos Ulberg at UFC 303 in June but suffered a knee injury.

Prochazka aims to bounce back from a head kick knockout loss to Pereira at UFC 303 in June. Prior to that, he defeated Aleksandar Rakic by TKO at UFC 300. Prochazka has only lost to Pereira in his UFC tenure, also having been TKO’d by “Poatan” at UFC 295 in November 2023.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCuRw6rs1OU/

With the addition, the UFC 311 lineup includes:

  • Jamahal Hill vs. Jiri Prochazka
  • Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac
  • Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira
  • Muin Gafurov vs. Rinya Nakamura
  • Bogdan Guskov vs. Johnny Walker
  • Ailin Perez vs. Karol Rosa
  • Sedriques Dumas vs. Zach Reese
  • Raoni Barcelos vs. Payton Talbott
  • Bernardo Sopaj vs. Ricky Turcios

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

Jamahal Hill rips Magomed Ankalaev’s ‘pretty boring’ win at UFC 308

Jamahal Hill doesn’t think Magomed Ankalaev strengthened his case for a title fight after UFC 308.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] doesn’t think [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag] strengthened his case for a title shot after UFC 308.

Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) defeated Aleksandar Rakic (14-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) by unanimous decision at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Ankalaev’s 13-fight UFC unbeaten streak at 205 pounds is the second-longest in divisional history behind Jon Jones at 18.

Former champion Hill was not impressed with Ankalaev’s performance.

“Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic: Holy sh*t, what a pretty boring fight,” Hill said on his YouTube channel. “Pretty boring, fellas. I’m going to be real. I’m always going to be real whenever it comes to talking about fights, and this fight was boring. It showed a lack of weapons.

“I’m not going to say on Rakic’s side. Because Rakic kind of got into his bag a little bit and kind of showed some of the weapons he has. It showed a lack of weapons on Magomed’s end. I’ll get into that later. It seems like we’re probably going to be on a collision course, so I’ll elaborate on that on another time. But Rakic showed a lack of fight IQ.”

Ankalaev called for a title shot against light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, and UFC CEO Dana White appeared on board. However, Hill doesn’t see it as a guarantee after UFC 308.

“Magomed is wholeheartedly a counter fighter,” Hill said. “That’s what I mean by lack of tools. Lack of tools is being able to come forward and enter, things that actually get you forward and enter into range. That’s not something that he’s good at doing, which against Alex and I, is going to be a problem.

“Assuming he gets the title shot now, giving somebody a title shot off a performance like that – I mean, obviously he’s got the resume and deserves the title shot, but that performance sucked, and I know they (UFC) don’t like him. So, you never know.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Overreaction Time: Jones vs. Ngannou WILL happen, UFC rankings useless, Sean O’Malley a fraud, more!

Check out the first episode of “Overreaction Time” as host Simon Samano and Farah Hannoun debate an array of topics in MMA.

The time for overreacting is here!

Check out the first episode of “Overreaction Time” as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie reporter Farah Hannoun debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:

  • Make no mistake: [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] is the No. 1 heavyweight in the world.
  • Because the UFC can’t say no to money, we WILL get Francis Ngannou vs. [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] next year.
  • [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] is the best UFC fight for the rest of the year.
  • The UFC should just get rid of the official rankings altogether.
  • [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] getting an immediate title rematch would be ridiculous.
  • Sean O’Malley was a fraudulent UFC champion.
  • [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] needs to keep [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]’s name out of his mouth.
  • The UFC would be foolish not to book [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] early next year.

Watch the full episode in the video above.

Jamahal Hill says Khalil Rountree not at his level: ‘We’re not even in the same bracket right now’

Jamahal Hill takes umbrage with those who think Khalil Rountree can beat him.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] takes umbrage with those who think [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] can beat him.

Rountree (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) put up a valiant effort in his title loss to light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira earlier this month at UFC 307. Rountree won the first two rounds, before getting battered and finished in the fourth round.

In his most recent outing, Hill (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) suffered a first-round knockout loss to Pereira at UFC 300 in April. He was scheduled to face Rountree at UFC 303 in June, but withdrew due to injury. His performance against Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) drew comparisons to Rountree’s, but Hill is confident that he would handily beat Rountree if they ever fought.

“The way that Pereira beat Khalil, for one – Pereira couldn’t beat me fighting that way,” Hill told Sportskeeda. “And two, that’s how I would’ve beat Khalil from the jump. He would’ve gotten beat like that even earlier in the fight. Pieced up with hands? Come on, bro. That’s what I do. People got recency bias and things like that. If anybody thinks that Khalil is on my level, let’s see him go and win a fight because he’s not even – we’re not even in the same bracket right now.

“He got a title shot just because he was an easy mark for the champ, he’s a favorable matchup for the champ. He’s No. 8, coming off a loss. I’m in the top five. He’s got to get a win before he gets up and before that’s even a thing. And if he does get a win, and that ever does materialize to be a thing, anybody who thinks he can beat me, bet $1 million on it. Bet your house on it. Real talk. I bet nobody going to bet nothing that they really want to lose on that. Nobody’s taking that bet.”

Hill revealed that he already signed a contract for his next fight. “Sweet Dreams” didn’t announce the opponent, but with former title challenger Jiri Prochazka also recently signing a contract, many are speculating it could be him.

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Jamahal Hill on yawning after Alex Pereira’s win over Khalil Rountree: ‘I never said the fight was boring’

Jamahal Hill says his reaction to Alex Pereira’s finish of Khalil Rountree was taken out of context.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] says his reaction to [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]’s finish of [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] was taken out of context.

Hill (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) was in attendance to watch light heavyweight champion Pereira brutally TKO Rountree in Round 4 of Saturday’s UFC 307 main event in Salt Lake City. Rountree won the first two rounds before getting finished.

After Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) stopped Rountree (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC), the camera panned to Hill, who was seen yawning. Hill’s yawning reaction was understood by many as him thinking the fight was boring.

“It’s crazy how y’all see a clip with no context, no nothing, and y’all just be ready to talk sh*t and just attack and come disrespectful as ever,” Hill said on his YouTube channel. “It’s hilarious.

“I wasn’t mic’d up or anything like that, so I couldn’t explain the context of the yawn and things like that after the fight. I think I did hear a reporter told Alex, ‘Oh, Jamahal said the fight was boring.’ I never said the fight was boring.”

Hill was knocked out in the first round of his title fight against Pereira at UFC 300 in April. He predicted that Pereira would struggle against a southpaw like Rountree, and explains that his yawn was just him implying that he knew the fight would pan out like that.

“Now, to the yawn, the yawn at the end was – was it entertaining? Yes,” Hill said. “Was I impressed? No. I’m not impressed. You know, I’m ready to go. Did I see anything in the cage that scares me or that I didn’t expect to see? No.

“So as far as reacting and everything, I don’t think I really need to do much of a reaction to this fight because, before, if you watch, or you watch my breakdowns, you can see I told you exactly how this fight was going to go.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Khalil Rountree expects Jamahal Hill fight to be rebooked after UFC 307 loss: ‘It’s almost inevitable’

Khalil Rountree expects a big fight after falling short in his valiant effort vs. Alex Pereira at UFC 307.

[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] expects a big fight after falling short in his valiant effort vs. Alex Pereira.

Rountree (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) was awarded the first two rounds of his light heavyweight title fight vs. champion Pereira in Saturday’s UFC 307 headliner before getting finished in Round 4. Rountree suffered a lot of damage in the fight, resulting in nose surgery, but his incredible heart won many fans over.

Prior to getting his title fight with Pereira, Rountree was booked to face former champion [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at UFC 303 in June but withdrew due to a failed drug test that was blamed on a tainted supplement. Rountree thinks rescheduling his fight against Hill makes sense.

“Absolutely, I think it’s almost inevitable,” Rountree told Kevin Iole of fighting Hill. “I think he’s ranked No. 3. Anyone up there in the top five is kind of inevitable. So, let’s see what happens. Pretty shortly here, I’ll be talking to the matchmakers and the bosses and see what they think.

“I’m here for it all, I’m not done. I’m going to continue, and I believe that I’ll have another chance at fighting for a belt. Whether it’s Alex or whoever else, if someone’s able to take it from him. I think that fight can definitely still happen.”

Rountree revealed that he signed a new contract with the UFC prior to facing Pereira and still has plenty of fights left in him. After undergoing septoplasty surgery for a “severely deviated septum,” Rountree hopes to return early next year.

“I’m very excited to come back and fight again, but it will probably be Q1 next year,” Rountree said. “I know that people got to see me fight, but this really showed me two things: It showed me that I’m prepared to fight at that level, but it also showed me that there’s a lot to learn and there’s a lot to grow. I want to come back and be very skillful and strategic and just make sure that I make the right decisions.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Jamahal Hill snaps back at Alex Pereira’s dig following UFC 307 win: ‘You will see me soon’

Jamahal Hill isn’t letting go of his ill will toward Alex Pereira following UFC 307 – especially after the champion took a shot at him.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] isn’t letting go of his ill will toward [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] following UFC 307 – especially after the champion took a shot at him.

Hill (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) ramped up his beef with Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) on Saturday when he was caught on camera sarcastically yawning cageside at Delta Center in Salt Lake City after “Poatan” delivered a fourth-round TKO of Khalil Rountree in the main event to defend the light heavyweight belt (via X):

Pereira, who defeated Hill by first-round knockout at UFC 300 in April for the first defense in his current reign, was asked about the video during the UFC 307 post-fight press conference. The Brazilian has not been a fan of how Hill has conducted himself in the aftermath of the fight with complaints about the refereeing and stoppage, and he used the opportunity to take a dig at his former opponent.

“Maybe he just woke up from UFC 300,” Pereira said with a laugh.

Hill did not sit idle while Pereira made his statement. He quickly replied in the comments on social media, and reiterated what he’s said in the past: That he’s coming for a rematch (via Instagram):

Hill hasn’t competed since the loss to Pereira at UFC 300. He was scheduled to fight Rountree at UFC 307 in July, but was forced to withdraw due to injury and has yet to be scheduled for anything else.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Jamahal Hill: UFC champ Alex Pereira ‘definitely struggles’ against southpaws

Jamahal Hill expects Khalil Rountree’s striking stance to pose problems for Alex Pereira at UFC 307.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] expects [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]’s striking stance to pose problems for UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].

Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) defends his title against Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in the UFC 307 main event Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City. Hill was knocked out by Pereira in their title fight at UFC 300 but thinks Rountree being a southpaw will present a look that Pereira has struggled with in the past.

“The thing Khalil has going for him is he’s a southpaw,” Hill told Aljamain Sterling on his YouTube channel. “He has valuable threats from southpaw. If you look at his (Pereira’s) kickboxing career, 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. You saw Jiri, but Jiri just went to southpaw. He was very flat-footed. He didn’t really have anything from it. …

“The most he’s seen from it was Bruno Silva. People wonder why 6-foot Bruno Silva gave him trouble. Because Bruno Silva has the ability to fight southpaw. The second fight against Izzy (Adesanya), go look, which way does Izzy stand? I pay attention to the details. If you have weapons from southpaw, he struggles. He definitely struggles.”

Hill has a vested interest in Pereira vs. Rountree and plans on being in attendance for the fight. “Sweet Dreams” was scheduled to face Rountree at UFC 303 in June, but Rountree withdrew after a failed drug test. Carlos Ulberg stepped in, but Hill wound up pulling out due to injury.

“I’m going to go,” Hill said. “It makes sense, and it affects what’s next for me and things like that. I’m going to go out there.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307. 

Former UFC champ Jamahal Hill claps back at Magomed Ankalaev: ‘You’re light work for me’

Jamahal Hill went off on Magomed Ankalaev.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] went off on [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag].

Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) poked fun at Hill’s reaction toward the title fight announcement between light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree, which headlines UFC 307 on Oct. 5.

“Why is Jamahal Hill crying? Pereira just made you sleep, get back in the like and work your way up or be ready for Abu Dhabi because Rakic may pull out.”

Ankalaev was passed up for a title shot and booked against Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi. Hill (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) thinks Ankalaev is trying to win the fans over by going after him.

“I made a reaction video about the Khalil Rountree and Alex Pereira title fight announcement, and there was one guy in particular who, yeah, I will agree he’s been given the run-around by the business right, and I’m assuming now he’s learned his lesson now to watch his mouth because as you know, we talking about Mrs. – I ain’t even going to – little ‘Frudamed Gankalaev,’ ankle grabber, whatever you want to call him,” Hill said on his YouTube channel. “This dude just can’t stop trying to clout chase in whatever way he can. Like, you fought to a draw, you had your chance of winning the title. Now, I am one of the people that agree that he should have been next in the title shot above Khalil Rountree, and I spoke on this.

“But for you to say I’m crying because I spoke on an obvious fact of the game that affects everybody in our weight class and things like that, I see what you tried to do, bro. You see that the whole fan base, they’re kind of against me, they kind of want to throw sh*t on me and sh*t like that. You think that you can get some cool points by jumping on that bandwagon and trying to call me out. Stop it, bro. Stop it, bro. I would expect a low IQ move like that from you, you know what I mean. You don’t want to say anything about the fight being announced because you’ve now learned your lesson from the time whenever you lost, talking about you don’t want to fight for the UFC and how they have now smacked your hand and now you know to watch your mouth and stay in check.”

Hill warns Ankalaev that he will be ready to step in and face him if need be.

“They don’t even like you enough to let you fight (for the title) over the No. 8 dude,” Hill said. “So chill out, bro. Chill out trying to get cool points, bro. Focus on other sh*t. You’ve got a fight coming up against Rakic. Shout out to Rakic because he’s very well capable of putting your ass out. But best believe if my phone rings and they need somebody to come step in and handle you, bro, you’re light work for me. You’re light work for me, and I can’t wait to show that.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Jamahal Hill: Alex Pereira made ‘beautiful adjustments’ in UFC 303 knockout of Jiri Prochazka, looked evolved

Jamahal Hill had high praise for rival Alex Pereira after UFC 303.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] had high praise for rival [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] after UFC 303.

Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) notched his second title defense by knocking out Jiri Prochazka (30-5-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) in their title-fight rematch this past Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Hill (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is eager to run things back with Pereira after he suffered a knockout loss to him at UFC 300, but couldn’t help but compliment “Poatan” for his performance.

“Great main event, absolute dominant performance by Alex from start to finish,” Hill said on his YouTube channel. “I believe this is honestly probably the first fight that I’ve seen where Alex came out and won the fight from start until he got the finish. He didn’t have to come back and – it was still some adversity, Jiri still presented his challenges in it, but he adapted and he made good adjustments.”

Pereira knocked down Prochazka at the end of Round 1 with a left hook, and was able to take him out with a head kick just 13 seconds into Round 2. Pereira later revealed that he noticed a tendency in Prochazka’s warmup which he was able to capitalize on.

“The adjustment that I seen that Alex made from that was the check hook,” Hill said. “More so before, you see him in come like he steps in with that hook and he tries to land it leaning in and throwing his power forward. This time we seen him implement it from more of a defensive and a counteractive manner in this particular fighting sequence.

“The first hook that he landed on Jiri, he hit him and you could see the eyes roll, you could see him get dazed a little bit. From there, he landed another one that kind of wobbled him, that kind of shook the legs a little bit and then he landed the one at the end of the round that put him on his back. It’s beautiful adjustments bro, beautiful adjustments. He looked evolved, he looked like he’s taking more steps and getting better as a fighter.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.