Jamahal Hill: 'I can make a fight with Alex Pereira look easy'

15/11/2023 21:08

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill has been sidelined recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon. He relinquished his title after the injury leaving the 205-pound championship vacant.

Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira fought for the vacant title at UFC 295 on Nov. 11. Pereira knocked out Prochazka in the second round to become the new light heavyweight champion.

Hill discussed Pereira's fighting style on Demetrious Johnson's YouTube channel and said that he'd make a fight with "Poatan" look easy.

"There's a lot of them," Hill said about openings against Pereira. "I don't think he's as fast as I am. I don't think he's used to the type of fight that I bring and the type of style that I bring. It's just like certain skills. I understand fighting. He understands it as well. His leg kicks are kind of philosophy to the way that I was taught to where you don't have to put much on them and they're very effective and can do a lot of damage. So, I understand that. I understand is hook is set up with his boxing base with a little bit of his own personal touch put on to it. I notice these things," Hill said.

"I'm just, I'm just different. I just really want to get in there with somebody like that who everybody sees and acknowledges how special he is... I want to go in there and show the levels that I can make it look easy. I believe I could really make this fight look easy," Hill continued.

"I'm talking about striking. I've got to shut him down at what he does the best and put him to sleep and where everybody sees him as this unbelievable, untouchable guy. That's the way that it has to be done. In my eyes, that's the way I have to do it. I can do it another way. I can take him down."

After knocking out Prochazka, Pereira called out his old nemesis former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Hill thinks he's focused on the wrong things.

"I just think it was funny (that Pereira called out Adesanya). "To me, it's like you're focused on the wrong things, or you just really just don't understand the threat that I am, or the challenge that really is in front of you. To me, I'm excited. It excites because the simple fact that if either one of those are true it's going to be even easier than what I see skill for skill on how I can beat him," Hill said.

"I've been striking for a long time. That's what all the street fights was. All the street fights was stand up and throw these hands. Even in my training. I feel like I understand striking and I see it on a whole another level. It would be like we were in kickboxing. If I went over and we actually did this in kickboxing, I think I could become a champion. I think I could be a champion in kickboxing as well. I'm fully aware that I can take him down and I could wrestle. My grappling is better than pretty much, I feel, anyone that he's gone against. I'll out grapple anybody that he's gone against. But, for me, for what I want out of this and out of this challenge, I feel he's gotta go to sleep."