Jamahal Hill is ready to silence the doubters against new UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
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 (29-4-1 MMA, 3-1 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.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.
