Tag: Jamahal Hill

Daniel Cormier questions Herb Dean’s handling of Alex Pereira’s low blow before UFC 300 KO of Jamahal Hill

Daniel Cormier believes Alex Pereira’s knockout at UFC 300 might’ve been assisted by Herb Dean’s actions – or lack thereof.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] believes [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] was thrown off before getting knocked out by [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] at UFC 300.

Pereira took out Hill in Round 1 of their light heavyweight title fight this past Saturday. The fight-ending sequence happened right after Hill landed a low blow on Pereira, who waved referee Herb Dean away to continue fighting. Just seconds later, Pereira dropped Hill with his signature left hook and finished him.

Cormier suggests that Dean should have separated Pereira (10-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and Hill (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) after the inadvertent low blow instead of letting them continue in the exact same position. Cormier believes the momentary pause without a full stop distracted Hill.

“I saw some things a little differently after watching it with him (Hill),” Cormier said on his “Funky and the Champ” show with Ben Askren. “He spoke about foot placement as a southpaw fighting a conventional fighter, the range, and everything else. … I run it by my cousins and my nephews, and my nephew had the same idea. They thought that Herb Dean made a mistake. While we are all lost in the idea of Herb goes to step in, Alex puts his hand out, Herb steps back. When you have an illegal strike, they are saying that they should have been separated and then they come back together as a fresh restart.

“It didn’t happen. Very short time later, Alex landed the shot that put Jamahal down and knocked him out, seconds after what should have been a restart.”

Cormier continued, “I’m not taking a side in this deal. I’m just asking what you make of that. Generally, when an illegal strike happens, they separate the athletes, they come back together, and then the fight restarts. In that moment, it felt like Alex had said, ‘I’ve got my timing, I’ve got my foot placement.’ He went and landed, but they feel like they were much closer than they should have been.”

PFL analyst and former referee John McCarthy weighed in on X, saying Dean handled the situation perfectly.

“It is inherently bad for the sport and unbelievably embarrassing to hear people who supposedly know the sport of MMA smear the actions of @HerbDeanMMA as if he was responsible for the knockout of @JamahalH @ufc 300. Let’s make this as clear as possible for everyone. Herb was perfect in the actions he took in allowing @AlexPereiraUFC to call off the timeout for the kick to the groin he took and then keep the action of the fight in motion. The fighter who is fouled by a strike to the groin is in control of how much time they need to take to sufficiently recover from the foul. They have up to 5 minutes of time if they need it. Many times fighters do not want a stop in the action because they feel they have gained momentum in the fight and do not want to give any time to their opponent. Everything Herb Dean did was exactly what we would train any official to do under the same circumstances. Luckily we had an official in the cage who understands the rules and the mechanics needed to successfully manage a world title fight instead of the talking heads that guess at what is right or wrong.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Ben Askren: Jamahal Hill’s ego ‘put him in harm’s way’ vs. Alex Pereira at UFC 300

Ben Askren calls out Jamahal Hill for being overconfident against Alex Pereira at UFC 300.

[autotag]Ben Askren[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] was overconfident against UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].

Hill (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) was knocked out in the first round of his title fight against Pereira (10-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 300 headliner.

Hill predicted a quick knockout of Pereira, but Askren thinks Hill’s antics – like when he caught the imaginary arrow Pereira shot in his walkout – caused him to have misguided confidence.

“My general feeling on that fight, I thought Jamahal Hill was a little too confident saying he was going to stand with him,” Askren said on his “Funky and the Champ” show with Daniel Cormier. “When he hits people, they fall down, and that’s what Jamahal Hill should have been a little more worried about. I feel like he was too confident. I feel like he disregarded how hard Pereira hits.

“I feel, honestly – hopefully your buddy (Hill) doesn’t get too mad at you for this. My feeling? Ego. Ego gets involved with fighters. He thought everyone is saying, ‘Hey, Jamahal, Pereira is the better standup fighter. He’s going to put you down.’ And he said, ‘No, No, it’s not going to happen.’ We talked about when he caught the arrow and broke it. …That’s ego speaking. I did think that maybe put him in harm’s way.”

Hill immediately turned his attention to former champion Jiri Prochazka after the loss to Pereira. Prochazka knocked out Aleksandar Rakic on the same night.

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Jamahal Hill turns attention to Jiri Prochazka after UFC 300 loss

Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka were once lined up to meet when the former was champ. Does the matchup make sense coming out of UFC 300?

After taking a day to think about it, former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] knows the fight he wants next.

Hill suffered a first-round knockout loss to champ Alex Pereira in the UFC 300 main event Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It was Hill’s first fight since tearing his Achilles tendon last July in a pickup basketball game, with many wondering if he was returning to the cage too soon. Hill’s surgically repaired knee didn’t appear to be an issue, but he still came out on the losing end of a devastating finish.

Now Hill is all about rebounding from defeat, and he sees fellow former champ and UFC 300 competitor [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] as a good option to get back on track. Hill let this be known Monday in a post on X.

Although Hill and Prochazka were once lined up to meet after Hill claimed the title vacated by Prochazka in November 2022, it seems unlikely that Prochazka would have interest coming out of UFC 300. After beating Aleksandar Rakic by second-round TKO on Saturday, Prochazka made it clear that he’s got his sights set on another light heavyweight title shot.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: UFC 300 review, Holloway wins BMF title, Makhachev & McGregor return, more

On “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel discusses the fallout of UFC 300 including, Holloway’s BMF win, McGregor’s return, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate everything around UFC 300:

  • The UFC reached its 300th pay-per-view event, a big milestone for the Las Vegas-based promotion. Where does this massive event rank in UFC history? On paper, it was a great card, and it delivered as promised.
  • [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] arguably made the biggest statement on Saturday night. The former UFC featherweight champion knocked out [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] in brutal fashion with one second remaining in the fight for the BMF title. So what’s next for Holloway? Should he stay at 155 pounds or go back to 145? Holloway has many options after this career-defining win.
  • On top of Holloway’s win, there were several other important lightweight bouts, as well as other lightweight bookings announced: [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] defeated former champion [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag], [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] stopped Jalin Turner and [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] picked apart Jim Miller. Additionally, the [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] title defense vs. [autotag]Dutin Poirier[/autotag] was made official, along with the return of [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], who faces lightweight standout [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] in a welterweight bout. Big news and results that heavily impact the UFC lightweight division.
  • In the main event of UFC 300, [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] successfully defended his light heavyweight belt for the very first time, knocking out [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]. It was a huge win for the Brazilian, who requested a heavyweight fight in a quick turnaround at UFC 301 in Brazil next month.
  • In the other undisputed title fight, [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] defended her UFC strawweight belt against fellow Chinese fighter [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag]. It was a solid showing by Weili, who logged the second title defense of her second championship reign.
  • [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] made a huge splash on Saturday night. In a dominant showing, she submitted former champion [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag], a victory that even caught the attention of former two-division UFC champion [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag]. What’s next for Harrison? Is she a future UFC champion? We unpack it all.
  • Lastly, several other big storylines went down at UFC 300. The panel quickly reviews [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]’s featherweight debut, [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]’s submission win, [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]’ most recent first-round finish and more.

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UFC 300 ‘Embedded,’ No. 4: Headliner Jamahal Hill works on a slick 1/1 piece of memorabilia

In the fourth episode of UFC 300 “Embedded,” Jamahal Hill gets autographs from the fighters on the card – including his champ opponent.

One of the most highly anticipated fight weeks in UFC history is here with UFC 300, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 300 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

In the headliner, light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) puts that belt on the line for the first time against former champ [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who vacated the title six months after he won it due to injury.

In the co-feature, women’s strawweight champion [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (24-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC). The bout is the first all-China title fight in UFC history.

The “BMF” belt is on the line between current titleholder [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) and former longtime featherweight champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC), who is moving up to lightweight for the bout.

Plus, UFC 300 features the promotional debut of two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time PFL champ [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) against former women’s bantamweight champ [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) and five other former UFC champions on arguably the most stacked card in company history.

The fourth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Bobby Green, Charles Oliveira, Xiaonan Yan and Jamahal Hill carve out time to train. Holly Holm goes coffee hunting. Fighter check in at UFC Apex, and headliner Hill gets autographs – including one from foe Alex Pereira.

Also watch:

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Glover Teixeira brushes off Israel Adesanya helping Jamahal Hill for UFC 300

Glover Teixeira isn’t concerned with Jamahal Hill reaching out to Israel Adesanya ahead of UFC 300.

[autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] isn’t concerned with [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] reaching out to [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] ahead of UFC 300.

Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) sought advice from Adesanya ahead of his title fight against light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC), which headlines UFC 300 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Adesanya has fought Pereira four times, including twice in kickboxing. Adesanya was able to win one meeting out of the four – their most recent one at UFC 287 where he won by knockout.

“He is a great fighter and, for sure, he’s in anybody’s corner, he’s going to help anybody,” Teixeira told CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri of Adesanya. “Anybody that comes and sees something different with a high level, he can definitely be a help, for sure, 100 percent. It’s just another help. If you say Izzy or Jon Jones, really some high-level guys, it’s all going to help big time because of the experience.

“It’s not something that’s going to be magic. I say that all the time about me being in Alex’s corner and people saying, ‘Great reason why Alex.’ No, it’s not. Alex would be a champion, he would be where he is, anybody with discipline that have any skills of martial arts would take Alex to the top. It’s him. It’s just the person he is.”

Teixeira retired after losing to Hill in their vacant light heavyweight title fight at UFC 283 in January. He will be able to provide valuable insight to Pereira, just like he did for their common opponent Jiri Prochazka.

“Alex was there rooting for me when I fought Jiri, and Jiri got his hand raised. We were all upset,” Teixeira said. “The next time, Alex went over there and got the title from him to become a champion, and we were all happy about it.

“It feels good in a way. Like, ‘Hey, man, this guy was happy last time, now we got him.’ Jamahal is the same way. It’s not a personal thing. It’s just a game. It’s just the sport. You go in and try to beat the guy that beat you. I don’t think Alex has that in his mind. He’ll fight anyone because you just want to keep that belt.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Alex Pereira expects Jamahal Hill to be 100 percent healthy at UFC 300: ‘He knows who he’ll be fighting’

Alex Pereira shares his opinion on Jamahal Hill time off and return from injury ahead of UFC 300.

LAS VEGAS – A lot has been said about [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]’s form entering UFC 300.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion will attempt to get the title back Saturday against champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] in the main event of the historic pay-per-view. This will be the first fight for Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) since he relinquished his title in July after he ruptured his Achilles tendon.

Given the nature of the injury and the fairly quick recovery, some question if Hill be 100 percent come fight night, but Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) isn’t one of them.

“I’m not really thinking too much about his time off and injury,” Pereira said at the UFC 300 media day Wednesday. “I’d like to think that if he’s here, and he accepted the fight, it’s because he’s 100 percent. He knows what kind of responsibility this is, and he knows who he’ll be fighting. In my mind, he’s good, and I’m going to do my part.”

This fight marks Pereira’s first title defense at light heavyweight. He was previously middleweight champion, but lost the belt to Israel Adesanya in a rematch a year ago. The Brazilian is eager to log in a UFC title defense, but knows he’s got a tough task.

“That’s my job, and I tried to do it the best I could,” Pereira said reflecting on his title defense loss at middleweight. “I tried to defend the belt, but I lost. I’m not the first person this happens to. I’m changing my mentality, and I’m someone that’s very realistic. I know I can lose, but in my mind, I’m here to fight and win.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

UFC 300 ‘Embedded,’ No. 3: ‘Just win, baby’

In the third installment of UFC 300 “Embedded,” Max Holloway gets a VIP tour of the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium.

One of the most highly anticipated fight weeks in UFC history is here with UFC 300, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 300 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

In the headliner, light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) puts that belt on the line for the first time against former champ [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who vacated the title six months after he won it due to injury.

In the co-feature, women’s strawweight champion [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (24-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC). The bout is the first all-China title fight in UFC history.

The “BMF” belt is on the line between current titleholder [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) and former longtime featherweight champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC), who is moving up to lightweight for the bout.

Plus, UFC 300 features the promotional debut of two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time PFL champ [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) against former women’s bantamweight champ [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) and five other former UFC champions on arguably the most stacked card in company history.

The third episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Champ Alex Pereira teaches Nina Drama footwork. Diego Lopes shops from the shoes up. Calvin Kattar stays sharp. Max Holloway tours a Vegas landmark. Kayla Harrison, Bo Nickal and champ Zhang Weili get in PI time. Justin Gaethje appreciates his team.

Also watch:

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Coach: Jamahal Hill is ‘levels above’ Alex Pereira, will prove it at UFC 300

Jamahal Hill’s coach sees a big advantage in the striking against UFC champ Alex Pereira.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]’s coach sees a big advantage in the striking department against [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].

Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) challenges light heavyweight champion Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 300 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Hill’s coach, Chad Pomeroy, is confident that his student will make it look easy standing up against Pereira.

“Jamahal did everything he needed to do to get that Achilles back to where it needed to be,” Pomeroy said on Episode 1 of UFC “Embedded.” “He’s ready to rock and roll, man, Saturday night. Everybody thinks Alex is this amazing striker.

“At the end of the day, Jamahal is levels above Alex Pereira. This fight needed to happen to show the world that Jamahal Hill is the best striker in the UFC. Everybody’s going to see it Saturday night. There’s going to be no question after that.”

Hill declared himself as the best striker in the UFC years ago in an interview with MMA Junkie Radio. Four of his past five wins have come by knockout, with the lone decision win in that stretch coming in a battering of Pereira’s mentor Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 to claim the vacant light heavyweight title.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Israel Adesanya predicts Jamahal Hill will knock out Alex Pereira at UFC 300

Israel Adesanya offers an in-depth breakdown of the UFC 300 main event between Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] sees [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] stopping light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] early at UFC 300.

Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC), a former middleweight champ, makes his first 205-pound title defense against Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in Saturday’s headliner (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Adesanya has fought Pereira four times – twice in kickboxing, and twice in MMA. Adesanya is a combined 1-3 in those fights, but he knocked out Pereira in their most recent outing at UFC 287 and thinks “Poatan” is hittable.

“This fight, Alex is going to try and kick Jamahal’s legs. I don’t think that’s a f*cking secret,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “That’s his thing. Jamahal knows this. Jamahal, I don’t think is scared. Jamahal has got knockout power, scary knockout power, as well.

“Alex can get knocked out. Something Jamahal said, which I don’t know if it was overlooked or not, he said, ‘Who is someone Alex Pereira has just outclassed in a fight? Not just knocked out, but like outclassed in a fight until he knocks them out.'”

Adesanya has confidence in Hill’s power but warns him of Pereira’s inevitable leg kicks.

“Jamahal is just going to try and touch him at some point,” Adesanya said. “But avoiding the leg kicks is the tricky bit, and I know Jamahal has some remedies for that. … Five rounds, so it’s going to be a slow start. The first round, they’ll figure each other out, get some shots off.

“Alex is going to be throwing the leg kick, and Jamahal will be finding his jab and trying to get his fist to Alex’s head. Not just the chin, but his head somewhere because the one with Johnny Walker, that was on the dome. I’m going to go Jamahal by KO, first two-and-a-half (rounds).”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.