Alex Pereira Knocks Out Jamahal Hill At UFC 300 To Retain Light Heavyweight Title (VIDEO)

Alex Pereira has knocked out Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 to retain the Light Heavyweight Title.

 

NewsOnline Nigeria reports that Alex Pereira knocked out Jamahal Hill in the first round of their UFC 300 main event clash on Saturday to defend his UFC light heavyweight title for the first time.

 

In a landmark event that had already seen Max Holloway produce one of the greatest knockouts in the history of the sport, the main event pair had a tough act to follow.

Hill entered the headline bout making his return to action after an injury playing basketball last summer forced him to vacate the title just months after he had defeated Pereira’s mentor Glover Teixeira at UFC 283.

 

The UFC light heavyweight division has struggled with consistency since Jon Jones vacated the title in August 2020. Multiple vacancies and a boring draw prevented the weight class from moving forward. After knocking out Hill and Jiri Prochazka successively, Pereira is poised to carry the division into the future.

 

The finishing sequence will be fondly remembered. Referee Herb Dean called for a time-out after Hill kicked Pereira in the groin. Pereira — without ever taking his eyes off his prey — nudged the referee back with his hand. Moments later, the laser-focused champion landed a left uppercut that rolled Hill’s eyes back. Pereira measured his distance and reigned down ground and pound to render Hill unconscious. Pereira’s second light heavyweight title fight was also the second faster stoppage of his mixed martial arts career, topped only by a 2022 KO of Sean Strickland at middleweight.

Pereira vs. Hill was originally targeted for UFC 301 in the champion’s home nation of Brazil. Pereira doubled down on his desire to make the quick turnaround to fight again on the May 4 pay-per-view in Rio de Janeiro. Interestingly, Pereira said he wanted the short-notice fight to take place at heavyweight.

 

“I want to keep defending this belt,” Pereira said through an interpreter during his post-fight interview at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “I talked a lot about fighting in Brazil. I won this fight. I’m not hurt. Nothing happened. I know there needs to be a lot of promotion behind a fight, but I want to fight at heavyweight.”

 

Multiple story threads were at play on Saturday night. Pereira, despite rejecting the narrative, completed a revenge arch in the name of his mentor Glover Teixeira. Hill and Prochazka defeated Teixeira in consecutive UFC title fights leading to his retirement. Pereira’s first two light heavyweight title fights ended in KO victories over the same two men who beat his close friend. There was also a matter of lineage. Prochazka and Hill had claims to the championship after vacating it due to injury. By defeating both men back-to-back, Pereira crushed any doubt about being the best light heavyweight in the promotion.

 

Pereira’s quick success in MMA is remarkable. He won UFC titles in two weight classes by his 11th professional fight and has defeated five UFC champions in Octagon appearances. A uniquely decorated striker, Pereira is the only man to win multiple weight class titles in both Glory kickboxing and UFC.

 

Watch the videos below: