Tag: Jamahal Hill

Jamahal Hill assures Achilles injury fully healed ahead of UFC 300: ‘It’s not a problem at all’

The Achilles injury that prompted Jamahal Hill to vacate his title will not be an issue at UFC 300, according to the former champ.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] says he’s fully ready to go for the main event of UFC 300.

The former light heavyweight champion suffered an Achilles tendon injury in July, which prompted him to vacate the title. Hill has been on the mend since, but is now set to make his return to the octagon in the headliner of UFC 300 against current champ Alex Pereira.

The UFC explored many options for the main event of the upcoming pay-per-view on April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Shortly after the conclusion of UFC 298, promotion CEO Dana White announced the bout between Hill and Pereira, which drew plenty of criticism.

Regardless of the reaction to the matchup itself, Hill assures that he has taken care of everything properly on his road to recovery, and his injury will not be an issue when he steps into the octagon.

“Another one of the big questions around it has been my health,” Hill said in a video on his YouTube channel. “‘Oh, he’s rushing back,’ and things like that. No, I’m not rushing back. I’ve been training, I’ve been sparring, I’ve been at a full go now for a few weeks now. There’s been no setbacks. Nothing hindering anything. When I’m saying full go, I mean this is me doing everything full speed, full on like I would when I normally train. So, there’s no concerns. My Achilles is not an issue. It’s not a problem at all.”

Hill won the vacant light heavyweight title by defeating Glover Teixeira in a Fight of the Night battle at UFC 283, which was among the best fights of the year. Unfortunately, before he could begin his run with the title, he was injured during a game of basketball with other fighters, putting his career on hold.

Instead of holding up the division and forcing the promotion to create an interim title, Hill decided to vacate so he could focus on recovery. Now, he says he’s ready to go thanks to his dedication to getting back to peak condition.

“The minute this happened, I jumped in immediately with the best,” Hill said. “I got the same doctor Kobe Bryant had. The same doctor Aaron Rodgers had. I relocated, brought myself with members of my team out here to Las Vegas to be with the very best in this field – in my recovery, with my treatment, with everything, so I can have all the best resources at my disposal. Everything locked in so I can make sure that my leg is good, that I’m back, that I can be the fighter and the athlete that I am.

“I’m still him, and I’m back. I took some time off. I did everything right. I’ve been doing strength and conditioning five days a week. PT ten times a week, twice a day. It’s time. I put everything into it. It’s been a long road and it feels good to be back. I don’t care what anybody say, can’t nothing bring me down in this moment. I’ll see y’all soon.”

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Jamahal Hill responds to criticism of UFC 300 main title fight booking vs. Alex Pereira

Former UFC light heavyweight champ has heard the “crazy” feedback on his UFC 300 main event booking vs. champ Alex Pereira.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] has read and heard it all after the announcement of his UFC 300 main event billing against light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

The milestone event was promised by UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] to be topped by a mindblowing headliner, and some do not believe that Hill’s return from an Achilles injury against Pereira for the title fits that description.

Whether that assessment is fair or foul, Hill doesn’t understand the outrage that followed the official announcement, because the card is loaded with top-tier talent and matchups.

“The reaction to this has been kind of a mix of things here and there,” Hill said in a video on his YouTube channel. “It’s been a lot of outrage, a lot of disappointment and things like that. To be honest, it’s crazy to me because, for the most part, a lot of these people are the same people that spent the better part of a year or however long calling me a crybaby. But it’s crazy to see how a card can be stacked – the main card literally has a former champion or champion in every single fight. … Each one of the prelims is worthy of being its own separate main event. And people are crying.

“Like, let’s really be real. It’s really, really crying because you had unreal expectations for something. Now granted, Dana may have – well, he did overstep with some of the comments he made, but he had every intention on delivering on those comments. As you know, anybody who’s followed the UFC for some time, whenever Dana tries to tell you he’s trying to deliver something, he wouldn’t talk like that if he wasn’t trying to deliver something that you people would feel is mindblowing or otherworldly.”

While fan expectations may have been unrealistic for the UFC 300 main event considering availability and the promotion’s hectic year-round schedule, Hill vs. Pereira is a fight that is worthy of a headlining slot. But Hill isn’t sure that any matchup with real fighters or comic book superheroes would have satisfied fans.

“I seen one comment it said, ‘I was expecting Conor vs. Jesus himself,'” Hill said laughing. “At this point, I’m convinced that wouldn’t have been enough. Like y’all could have got Mario vs. King Kong, y’all could have got Wolverine vs. Iron Man. You could have got anything. Hulk vs. Superman, Spiderman vs. Batman, you could have got any of this and you wouldn’t have been happy.”

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Regardless of the contentious feedback Hill has observed, he promises to bring an entertaining fight to one of the biggest stages the UFC has ever created.

“People are going to say whatever they’re going to say,” Hill said. “I already know how my fights are and how my fights affect people. Whenever I step in that cage, y’all will be watching. It will be entertaining and it’s going to be action. You already know how I’m coming every single fight, and it’s must see TV. Same with Alex Pereira. We both put it on the line. We’ve shown you who we are through blood, sweat and tears. I have true belief that the true fans, which I believe that pool runs very, very deep in the community, they will lock in and they know exactly what they’re getting in this fight. One hundred percent.

“… ‘Sweet Dreams’ is back, man. It’s time for the king to come back, reclaim his throne and remind y’all. Because y’all seem to have forgot what happens when I come in there and these (hands) get to work.”

Video: Reaction to UFC 300 main event announcement Alex Pereia vs. Jamahal Hill

Is Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill really a blockbuster main event to headline UFC 300?

It seems like it took forever, but we finally have an official main event for UFC 300.

There wasn’t a big video package or surprise announcement during the UFC 298 pay-per-view event or anything like that, but minutes after the main event, UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] announced the light heavyweight title will be on the line in the main event of the upcoming milestone event when [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag].

The announcement of the matchup drew plenty of criticism online. Some were fantasy booking the whole time, holding out hope for the inclusion of one of the sport’s biggest stars like [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] or a surprise return of [autotag]Ronda Rousey[/autotag] or [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

While we didn’t get any of those things, we do have a former champion in Hill returning from injury and attempting to reclaim the title he vacated due to an Achilles injury against an exciting, dangerous champion in Pereira.

Is this the fight to headline one of the biggest cards of the year? It’s a stacked event from top to bottom, but is Pereira vs. Hill a nice cherry on top?

That’s what our “Spinning Back Clique” panel Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells and Brian “Goze” Garcia discussed along with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

Check out the conversation in the video above, and check out this week’s full episode below.

 

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Feb. 12-18)

Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Feb. 12-18.

Jamahal Hill says UFC 300 headliner offer came a day before announcement: ‘It’s what they really wanted’

Jamahal Hill only knew about headlining UFC 300 a day before it was made public.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] only knew about headlining UFC 300 a day before it was made public.

Dana White announced Saturday that Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) will challenge light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The UFC has been scrambling hard to find a main event for UFC 300, and according to Hill, he received a last-minute offer that he accepted.

“Everybody wants to be on UFC 300, but realistically it didn’t really come on my radar and didn’t really happen until like yesterday,” Hill told Sportsnet. “I’m not even going to lie – like, yesterday, when he called me, and he let me know the situation.

“Basically the situation was they needed a main event. They had some things lined up but they would have preferred it be me and Alex. It was the first option, it’s what they really wanted. The people definitely wanted it, that’s what people have been asking me for months now, all week. Yeah, it made sense.”

Hill will return after opting to vacate his belt due to a ruptured achilles tendon. Pereira knocked out Jiri Prochazka to claim the vacant belt at UFC 295, and Hill is excited for the opportunity to get his belt back.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge,” Hill said. “The challenge of Alex has become huge. He’s done incredible things – two-division champion in the UFC in seven fights, quickest to ever do it. So I just want to get in there and see how I match up against him.”

Despite the short-notice nature of the call, Hill is honored to headline such a historic show.

“It means a lot, just even being considered for it and them asking me to do it is huge,” Hill said. “It’s putting a lot of trust in my abilities and how I’m able to show up to put me at the helm of a card like that, and I appreciate that.”

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

UFC 300 odds: Alex Pereira opens as slight favorite over Jamahal Hill in main event

Alex Pereira is favored to retain his light heavyweight title against Jamahal Hill in the UFC 300 main event, but not by a large margin.

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] is favored to retain his light heavyweight title against [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] in the UFC 300 main event, but not by a large margin.

UFC CEO Dana White surprised many this past Saturday when he made a left-field announcement for the historic card on April 13 in Las Vegas. Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) will attempt to make his first 205-pound title defense against former champion Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who was forced to vacate the belt after suffering a ruptured Achilles in July.

Despite Hill’s serious injury and expedited return to the octagon from the original timeline he laid out, “Sweet Dreams” doesn’t find himself too badly discounted by the oddsmakers.

The opening betting line from DraftKings.com has Pereira as the -162 favorite, meaning a $162 bet on the Brazilian would yield a $100 return. Hill, meanwhile, comes back as the +136 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on him would generate $136 in profit if he emerged victorious from the bout.

Hill, 32, hasn’t competed since January 2022, when he won the vacant light heavyweight belt with a unanimous decision win over Glover Teixeira at UFC 283. Pereira, 36, who is a student of Teixeira, will attempt to get revenge for his coach and register a first defense of his belt, which he was unable to accomplish during his first UFC title reign in the middleweight division.

UFC 300 takes place at T-Mobile Arena with a main card on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN.

The latest lineup for the monumental card includes:

  • Champion Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill – for light heavyweight title
  • Champion Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway – for BMF title
  • Champion Weilli Zhang vs. Xiaonan Yan – for strawweight title
  • Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan
  • Kayla Harrison vs. Holly Holm
  • Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling
  • Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic
  • Diego Lopes vs. Sodiq Yusuff
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Bobby Green vs. Jim Miller
  • Cody Brundage vs. Bo Nickal
  • Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt

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

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: UFC 300 main event reaction, Ilia Topuria’s star potential, more UFC 298 fallout

Monday’s post-UFC 298 episode of “Spinning Back Clique” will examine Ilia Topuria’s star potential, more key results and whether the UFC 300 main event is good enough.

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 Mike Bohn, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Matthew Wells will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at 12 p.m. ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • The long-awaited confirmation of the UFC 300 main event on April 13, which will see [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] put his light heavyweight title on the line against [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]. There was endless speculation about what fight would get the headlining spot on the historic card, but was the final solution satisfactory?
  • [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] backed up all his bold pre-fight talk and knocked out Alexander Volkanovski in the second round of the UFC 298 main event to become new featherweight champion. With an unbeaten record and a flourishing following, is Topuria poised to become the next big star for the UFC? And what’s the right call for his first defense – especially if it happens in Spain?
  • [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] rebounded from his loss to Dricus Du Plessis with a unanimous decision win over Paulo Costa at UFC 298, putting him back in the mix among middleweight contenders. Whittaker is still determined to become champion, so what could his path back to the title look like?
  • [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] pushed his winning streak to 10 fights and potentially sent Henry Cejudo into retirement with a unanimous decision win at UFC 298. UFC CEO Dana White anointed Dvalishvili as No. 1 contender for the winner Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera at UFC 299, and 2024 is shaping up to be fascinating at bantamweight.
  • PFL vs. Bellator: Champions goes down Saturday in Saudi Arabia and it’s a significant event to kick off the new era for the top non-UFC promotions. There are multiple champion-vs-champion fights scheduled, as well as a number of other key matchups, which means a lot is on the line for the supposed future “co-leader” in MMA.

UFC 300 main event announced: Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill for light heavyweight title

After weeks of speculation, UFC 300 has a main event, per Dana White, as Alex Pereira fights Jamahal Hill for the 205-pound title.

The wait is over.

UFC 300 has a main event.

As announced by promotion CEO Dana White, the UFC light heavyweight title will be on the line April 13 as champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] faces former champion [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag], who never lost the title in competition.

White made the announcement on social media following the conclusion of Saturday’s UFC 298.

In November, Pereira won the UFC light heavyweight title vacated by Hill months prior when he defeated Jiri Prochazka by TKO. The win marked his second divisional title reign in the UFC.

Hill’s rise up the ranks culminated in a dominant UFC 283 title win over Glover Teixeira in January 2023. However, an Achilles tendon injury sustained in a UFC fighter basketball game in July caused him to vacate the title. He has not competed since.

With the addition, the UFC 300 lineup includes:

  • Champion Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill – for light heavyweight title
  • Champion Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway – for BMF title
  • Champion Weilli Zhang vs. Xiaonan Yan – for strawweight title
  • Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan
  • Kayla Harrison vs. Holly Holm
  • Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling
  • Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic
  • Diego Lopes vs. Sodiq Yusuff
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Bobby Green vs. Jim Miller
  • Cody Brundage vs. Bo Nickal
  • Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt

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

Jamahal Hill upset with UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings: ‘I’m disrespected in every aspect’

Jamahal Hill takes issue with the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] takes issue with the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings.

Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), a former UFC light heavyweight champion, opted to vacate his belt after rupturing his Achilles tendon.

“Sweet Dreams” says he was never in the top 10 of the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings when he became champion, and was removed from the list when he relinquished his title.

“When I won the title, I can’t think of the last time somebody became a champion and they were ranked outside of the top 10 pound-for-pound rankings,” Hill said on the Overdogs Podcast. “Go look at anybody else who’s won a title. Sean O’Malley, it doesn’t matter who it is. They were put in the top 10.

“(Alexandre) Pantoja, they were all put in the top 10. If you win a title, you’re already top of a weight class. They never put me above 12. Jiri (Prochazka) is still on the pound-for-pound list. I was taken off the pound-for-pound list, which is cool, but it’s a way to gauge the respect and the perception.”

Hill doesn’t only think he’s discredited rankings-wise, but also skills-wise. The 32-year-old, who’s on a four-fight winning streak, is expected to challenge UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira upon his return.

“I’m disrespected in every aspect,” Hill said. “(It’s) got me f*cked up all over the place, but it is what it is. People look at it like I’m a knockout guy, but I’m a martial artist. I’m a champion for a reason. I didn’t come in one-dimensional. I don’t think I can just go in and punch everybody to sleep. I understand I’m going to have to be versatile in my game and be able to win in different areas to ultimately stay where I want to be, on top of this game in this division. … The proper respect ain’t put to my name.

“People that don’t even mean to, but they’re sleeping and they don’t understand what the f*ck I am and what I’m really doing – which is cool for me. Part of my success is the fact that people have me underestimated and they’ve got me twisted. If you don’t know what to expect, how can you be ready? How do you prepare for it?”

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Jamahal Hill rips Magomed Ankalaev for saying he deserves title shot over him: ‘You’re not entertaining’

Jamahal Hill shut down Magomed Ankalaev’s claim that he should leapfrog him for a title shot.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] shut down [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]’s claim that he should leapfrog him for a title shot.

After knocking out Johnny Walker in the main event of UFC Fight Night 234, Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) argued that he’s done more than former champion Hill to earn a title shot against light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who vacated his 205-pound title after rupturing his Achilles tendon, is expected to be next in line against Pereira. He mocked Ankalaev for suggesting that he’s a more deserving title challenger.

“That’s some weird math to try to math,” Hill said on his YouTube channel. “First, Magomed, just – I get it, you trying to … you want your dream to come true and things like that. You want to get back to a shot and you’re hungry.

“Bro is not very bright. He doesn’t do bright things. Nothing about his movement or motion or anything he does seems bright at all, so I’m not really surprised that he has a not-so-bright take on this whole thing.”

Not only does Hill think Ankalaev isn’t worthy of a title shot, he doesn’t think fans are clamoring to watch him fight.

“We’re in the entertainment business, and you’re not entertaining,” Hill said. “Nobody wants to watch you fight. Nobody’s rushing to pay for your pay-per-view. So whenever it comes down to exciting and people want to see fight, I guarantee you more people want to see me fight than they want to see you fight. That alone, that math, is already killing you.

“My last four fights have been domination, finish, finish, finish. I’m the former champion. You were given the same chance to become champion and you sh*t the bed. You couldn’t finish the job. You couldn’t do it. It wasn’t meant to be for you. Whenever I stepped up, I showed my true colors and I showed that I was worthy to step in and actually be a champion.”

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