Tag: Jamahal Hill

Jamahal Hill vows to knock out UFC champ Alex Pereira when they fight: ‘I’m going to sleep your boy’

Jamahal Hill is ready to silence the doubters against new UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] is ready to silence the doubters against new UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].

This past Saturday at UFC 295, Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) knocked out Jiri Prochazka to claim the vacant 205-pound belt that Hill vacated after he ruptured his Achilles tendon.

Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) is aware of the buzz surrounding Pereira’s power but is confident that he doesn’t need to grapple him to take him out.

“Mark my words when I say this: I do not plan on taking him down, I do not plan on wrestling him,” Hill said on his YouTube channel. “I plan on going in there and where y’all think, he’s just this otherworldy guy because he did kickboxing and I didn’t do kickboxing? This is a completely different sport. Kickboxing is kickboxing, MMA is MMA. I been doing MMA for years. I been bred in MMA, and whenever I do fight him, standing, I will knock him out.

“And when I do, I’m going to rub it in every single one of y’all’s face. I won’t rub it in Alex’s face, Alex is a friend, but every single one of y’all that has talked, disrespected. It’s really crazy to me. Regardless of anything, I’m better at my job. I am certified one of the top 15 in the world in my job in my weight class. As far as my credentials and in my lane, I’m one of the top one or two in the world. I’m truly the best. That’s why I say I’m the king.”

However, Pereira appears to have other plans for now. After finishing Prochazka, “Poatan” called out Israel Adesanya for a trilogy bout, but Hill isn’t concerned.

“I’m going to sleep your boy,” Hill said. “And for anybody worried about Izzy and all this and that, he might jump the line. Izzy already messaged me. He messaged me the same night that it happened and he told me, ‘He’s all yours.’ Yeah, all mine.

“Alex is nobody’s. It’s right here, bro. There is nobody else. It’s just me. There is no other interference, nothing. It’s just me. I’m the only thing that you have to worry about – or don’t worry about. But understand when I come through, you’re going to feel me.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Glover Teixeira: New UFC champ Alex Pereira on different level than other light heavyweights, but Jamahal Hill a great fight for him

Glover Teixeira likes Jamahal Hill as a next opponent for new UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, his student.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] likes [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] as a next opponent for [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].

Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) captured the vacant light heavyweight title when he knocked out Jiri Prochazka (29-4-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in the second round in this past Saturday’s UFC 295 main event at Madison Square Garden.

Although Pereira called out former foe Israel Adesanya after his win, UFC CEO Dana White said ex-champ Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) is the fight to make. If Hill is indeed next, Teixeira feels confident about the matchup.

“If that’s the fight, I think it’s going to be a great fight,” Teixeira told MMA Junkie. “Like I said about Jiri, they’re great warriors – guys that I fought. Between Jiri and Jamahal, we had 50 minutes there, pretty much. It’s a great fight for Alex. Alex is a different level – he’s a different beast.”

It’s been an incredible run for Pereira in the UFC so far. He’s captured titles in two weight divisions in just seven octagon fights. Pereira was able to chop Prochazka’s legs down and make him pay on the counter before he got the finish.

“It was amazing the way the result came out,” Teixeira said. “I’m just so happy for the guy, the way he works. In the beginning of the round, I was just like, ‘Oh man, when is he going to pick up’ because he was not doing the shots fast. I was like, ‘He’s doing a trap’ or something, or ‘He’s going to get knocked out quick.’ Soon, two minutes into the fight, I knew it was going to be a quick night for Alex.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Jamahal Hill reacts to Alex Pereira’s win over Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295: ‘Neither one of these dudes are on my level’

Jamahal Hill was not impressed with Alex Pereira’s title win over Jiri Prochazka.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] was not impressed with [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]’s title win over [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag].

Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) captured the vacant light heavyweight title with a second-round knockout of Prochazka in this past Saturday’s UFC 295 headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Hill thought referee Marc Goddard stopped the fight a little too early, but draws confidence after watching Pereira and Prochazka (29-4-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) fight.

“I thought it ended a little early,” Hill told ESPN during the UFC 295 post-fight show. “But all in all, I was just thinking, like, neither one of these dudes are on my level. Neither one of them – I don’t think they are (as good as me) in any facet of the game, and I can’t wait to get back in full health and be able to show that.”

UFC CEO Dana White said former champion Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) will face Pereira next upon his return from injury – a ruptured achilles tendon which forced him to vacate his 205-pound title. Hill praised Pereira for his game plan against Prochazka.

“I think he did well,” Hill said of Pereira. “I think he came out and he chopped the leg, he got busy on it early. He stayed patient. He showed that you can’t just come out and grab him and take him down and just have that be an easy road to victory.

“He showed a lot of things. He showed he can do what he did at middleweight, at light heavyweight, essentially, so it’s exciting. He made me really excited to get back.”

Hill didn’t think Prochazka showed any ring rust returning from a 16-month layoff. He would have liked Goddard to give Prochazka more of a chance to fight when he was dropped, even though Prochazka agreed with the stoppage.

“(Prochazka) still had his arms clinched around his waist and things like that,” Hill said. “You’ve got to let a champion go out. Jiri is a champion and I feel he did deserve that respect of letting him try to fight through some adversity, and I don’t think he was given that chance fully. But it’s the game.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: UFC 295 fallout for Alex Pereira, Tom Aspinall and more, plus a look at Bellator 301

Our “Spinning Back Clique” crew discusses the fallout from the reshuffled UFC 295, looks ahead to Bellator 301 and much 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, we welcome in guest panelist John Gooden, the UFC’s play-by-play voice for most of its shows in Europe and Asia and one of the promotion”s chief analysts. He’ll join Mike Bohn, Nolan King and Simon Samano with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • The light heavyweight title continued its game of musical chairs Saturday when [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] won it against former champ Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 295 main event. Jon Jones, Jan Blachowicz, Glover Teixeira, Prochazka, [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag], and now Pereira – all since 2020. So what makes sense as the next move for Pereira? Is it Hill, or should an [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] MMA trilogy fight happen for him?
  • [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] became the interim heavyweight champion at UFC 295. In theory, now he’s supposed to wait for champ [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] to fight ex-titleholder [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag], and then he’ll get the winner. But that’s a long ways off thanks to Jones’ injury. Should the UFC change its mind and keep Aspinall active? If so, how will that work with titles and interim belts and all the craziness?
  • Highly decorated grappler [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] came to the UFC with tons of promise, but it hasn’t panned out the way she likely hoped. The up-and-down nature of her UFC career continued Saturday when she was knocked down four times by former women’s strawweight champ [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] and eventually was pounded out for a TKO setback. Has the ship sailed for her potential, or can she bounce back and live up to the expectations? And what of Andrade? Is she a gatekeeper now, or can she contend for a title again?
  • The UFC announced three big title fights for 2024: new champ Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis at middleweight; long-reigning titleholder Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria at featherweight; and new champ Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera at bantamweight. Did the UFC get those bookings right, and which one is the most intriguing?
  • Alex Pereira is the ninth fighter to win titles in two divisions in the UFC, and he did it faster than anyone else. Of the nine to do it, who did it best?
  • … and much more.

Manager Brian Butler details New York protestor bus attack involving Jamahal Hill, Robbie Lawler, Cory Sandhagen

SuckerPunch’s Brian Butler shares his perspecitve on what occurred Friday evening when their bus was attacked by protestors in New York.

NEW YORK – A van carrying UFC fighters and others was surrounded and attacked by protestors Friday evening, but luckily everyone was able to get out of the situation unscathed, according to manager Brian Butler of SuckerPunch Entertainment.

During the incident on Friday, former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] shared a live video on Instagram from inside the van, which became surrounded by pro-Palestinian protestors when they approached the intersection of W 41st St. and 7th Ave. Along with Hill and his manager Butler in the van, were UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag], former bantamweight title challenger [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag], and UFC staff and security.

Butler says the group was leaving a UFC fan event at a nearby nightclub when they approached the intersection, and things escalated to a near-ugly situation.

“We saw the parade of people coming and we saw all these flags, then we were like, ‘Oh, man. We’re about to get stuck in this,'” Butler told MMA Junkie. “People were saying, ‘Go, step on the gas. Step on the gas.’ People started trickling over because we were at the very front. I think they were curious because it was a big Sprinter van, so they started coming up and putting their signs and stuff up on the window. Then they got a look inside and they could see it was UFC security in there, and they were like, ‘Oh, UFC people.’ Then they started saying stuff like, you know, just mob mentality stuff. Nothing other than that sheer energy that was going on. It was like, ‘UFC people are bitches,’ UFC people are this and that.

“Then that kind of infuriated Jamahal. Jamahal started seeing red, so it was an issue trying to get him calmed down. But it started escalating pretty quickly. … It went from zero to having the whole vehicle surrounded and banging on it. The windows started breaking, and then Jamahal said he saw someone pull out a knife and they slashed all our tires. It could have been a very bad situation, but it ended well. I do have to say that the UFC security and staff was on point. The people that were on the bus with us were calling for backup.”

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According to Butler, the UFC security team along with the NYPD were able to clear a path for the van to get across the congested intersection. From there, everyone then had to exit the van and walk because the tires were slashed. Everyone in the van made it out of the situation safely, Butler said.

While the situation was unfolding inside the vehicle, Butler observed a sharp contrast in emotions between Lawler and Hill.

“Robbie had probably one of the most Robbie Lawler moments,” Butler said. “… He was just saying, ‘Conserve your energy. If these doors open, we’re going to need every ounce of it.’ It was very Robbie, because he was just sitting there still. Meanwhile, on the other end of the van, Jamahal is getting very irritated with people. Once Jamahal calmed down, everything was good.”

Butler went on to explain that when Hill went live on Instagram, the worst part of the incident had already occurred. He also stated that they never tried to run anyone over in the van, contrary to what some were saying online. Ultimately, Butler did his best to keep Hill calm throughout the moment in order to prevent things from escalating further.

“It was a very crazy situation. I think it was handled by everybody on the buses as well as could be done.”

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Former UFC champion Jamahal Hill’s bus attacked by pro-Palestinian protestors in New York

Former UFC champion Jamahal Hill was attempting to leave downtown New York when his bus was surrounded by pro-Palestinian protestors.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] was caught in the middle of a pro-Palestinian rally in New York, and things nearly turned very ugly.

Friday evening, Hill, along with his manager Brian Butler of SuckerPunch Entertainment and others were in a black van at the intersection of W 41st St. and 7th Ave. in New York when they were surrounded by protesters marching the streets who were calling for a cease-fire in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“We trying to leave downtown. Our bus is being attacked right now by something, some protest or something that’s going on,” Hill said in a video posted to Instagram. “They’re throwing, they’re breaking our windows, and all this and that. Bro, if any of my people down here downtown and you really got me bro, come get these people up off our bus, bro.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CzfH9VFp-Cf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Throughout the video, Butler can be heard attempting to calm Hill, who appeared very upset. Hill stated in the video he believed he was struck by glass from a broken window. At one point, protestors opened the driver’s side door of the van, but the driver was able to close the door without incident a few seconds later.

Butler posted a message on Instagram giving his account of the incident, stating that some of the windows of the van were broken and the tires were slashed.

“This could have escalated very badly,” Butler wrote on Instagram. “This was a sliver of a hair away from being catastrophic. Our sprinter was caught in what seemed to be a flash protest. Protesters swarmed the sprinter once someone noticed some UFC logos in or on the vehicle… Driver was almost pulled out of the van, windows were broken and our tires were slashed… we were stuck in the middle of the intersection getting swarmed. Thankfully everyone is safe.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CzfNyvqL8ED/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

According to a news report from CBS, Grand Central Station was briefly shut down Friday evening due to the large protest. NYPD took several people into custody.

Hill is in New York to attend UFC 295, which is headlined by Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira for the vacant light heavyweight title. Hill vacated the belt after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon, and is expected to face the winner of the main event in the future.

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Jamahal Hill names his top 5 boxers in the UFC

Jamahal Hill tackled the debate on the UFC’s best boxers – but where does he fall on his own list of greats?

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] has tackled the debate on the best boxers in the UFC.

With Francis Ngannou’s incredible success against WBC champion Tyson Fury in their crossover boxing match in Saudi Arabia – which included a knockdown, the discussion has sparked back up.

Years prior, former UFC dual-champion Conor McGregor put up a valiant effort against Floyd Mayweather before he ultimately was stopped.

In a 2021 interview with MMA Junkie, former light heavyweight champion Hill declared himself the best boxer in the UFC – and his opinion still stands.

But who are the other four who made his top five? Scroll below to find out whom Hill picked in his interview with The Schmo.

Jamahal Hill: Jiri Prochazka stronger than Alex Pereira, needs to mix it up to win vacant title at UFC 295

Jamahal Hill thinks Jiri Prochazka will have to use all his tools to beat Alex Pereira.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] will have to use all his tools to beat [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].

Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and Pereira (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) will battle for the promotion’s vacant light heavyweight title in the UFC 295 co-headliner Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The belt was relinquished in July by Jamahal Hill, who suffered an Achilles tendon injury in a pickup basketball game.

As he awaits the winner, Hill isn’t sure who he will be fighting upon his return. But, if former champion Prochazka wants to get his hand raised, Hill says he can’t just stand and trade with Pereira.

“I think that one’s a tossup, if I’m being completely honest,” Hill said on the “Believe You Me” podcast. “I think that fight can truly go either way. I think Jiri, the way he strikes – yeah, he has the wild, kind of loose style, but Alex isn’t going for that. He’s not going for the tricks. He’s not going for all the out there (stuff) because he has a specific mission and specific points in places he wants to be when he’s striking and when he’s engaging, and I think Alex is better at getting to those spots than Jiri is.

“But I think physically, Jiri will be the more physical, more physically strong fighter. I think Jiri has more MMA experience. I think if he can use his unorthodox-ness to, instead of trying to strike, to actually get in and mix and be rounded around in mixed martial arts, clinch him up, beat him up in the clinch, drag him to the ground, I think that’d moreso be his best way – making it an all-round mixed martial arts fight.”

Hill doesn’t have a preference on who wins, and sees the two matchups as entertaining scraps. He looks forward to fighting both.

“Honestly, if I had my choice and I had my pick, I would have not gotten hurt,” Hill said. “I would have had them both be in the position that they are and I’d have whooped their ass one by one.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Jamahal Hill on Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira: We’ll see who sits on the throne ‘until the king returns’

Now officially a former champion, Jamahal Hill gives his thoughts on the vacant UFC light heavyweight title matchup.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]’s UFC light heavyweight title is officially vacated.

Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) suffered an Achilles tendon injury in a pickup basketball game in July which required surgery. He opted to relinquish his belt, which was just made official when [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) were booked in a vacant light heavyweight title bout this week in the UFC 295 co-headliner.

Hill explains how the process went down.

“We’ll see who will sit as the steward on the throne until the king returns,” Hill said on his YouTube channel. “It brings up some feelings. Now, this would officially vacate me as the champion. I believe a lot of people were confused about the process and how that works. The reason being is whenever Jiri vacated the belt, it was pretty much immediate because they already had a fight announced to fill that vacancy.”

Hill was planning on defending his belt against both Prochazka and Pereira, and is bummed out that one of them could be eliminated from the title picture after UFC 295.

“They’re definitely two fighters that I wanted to meet in my reign as champion,” Hil said. “And I do still plan to meet upon my return. I just kind of hate the fact that one kind of has to cancel the other out. For me personally, the best thing that could happen would be like, I don’t know, a controversial type deal, something weird happening.

“I don’t know. So, that way they kind of keep their value intact for both to where I can just come back and do my thing, but it is what it is. I’m healing up, I’m coming along, doing physical therapy twice a day, just getting back to it.”

Hill says he will be in attendance for Prochazka vs. Pereira at Madison Square Garden in New York, and plans on reminding the winner that he’s not going anywhere.

“I plan on being there,” Hill said. “I’m going to go, I’m going to watch, I’m going to see what happens, and I’ll look the next man in the eye and let him see what’s coming. I don’t really have to say nothing. I can give you a look and you know everything you need to know. I just can’t wait to be back.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Video: Dana White’s Contender Series has produced two UFC champs, but who did it best?

Dana White’s Contender Series has produced a second UFC champion, but who did it best between Sean O’Malley and Jamahal Hill?

Dana White’s Contender Series began as a new entry for regional prospects to make it to the big stage, but it has now become a serious contender pipeline that has produced more than one UFC champion.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] was the first DWCS veteran to become a UFC champ by defeating Glover Teixeira in a gutsy unanimous decision win at UFC 283. “Sweet Dreams” displayed a cool, confident demeanor as he took out the world’s best light heavyweights on the way to the title.

The second was none other than “Sugar” [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag], who always believed he would become one of the sport’s biggest stars, way before the colorful hair and vibrant wardrobe. At UFC 292, he achieved his crowning moment by stopping Aljamain Sterling.

With two DWCS veterans etching their names in the history books, it raises the question: Which fighter did it better?

Was it O’Malley, who captured gold in his ninth UFC victory or Hill who only needed six wins to reach champion status? Furthermore, which fighter has a brighter future from this point forward?

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MMA Junkie’s “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian Garcia, Nolan King and Mike Bohn joined host “Gorgeous” George Garcia and debated which DWCS veteran did it best.

Watch the segment above, and Monday’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below.