Jamahal Hill contradicted Magomed Ankalaev’s light heavyweight title shot claim. According to the former champ, there are different reasons why the Russian fighter would never be better than him in taking the spot: record and entertainment.
After his KO victory at UFC Fight Night 234, Ankalaev immediately called out light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira. In the process, the No. 3-ranked fighter explained why he deserved the shot over Hill by reviewing their records.
“The math works out,” Ankalaev said during the event’s post-fight press conference. “I’m more deserving of the belt because I have 10 victories, and six of them knockouts. Jamahal Hill has eight fights total in the UFC, so it’s just clear I’m a more deserving contender than Jamahal Hill.”
Interestingly, Pereira’s coach, Glover Teixeira, has an interest in the challenge. After his fight, the former fighter praised the Russian’s performance and said they would see him “soon.” Needless to say, this is something Hill won’t allow.
Hill is a former champ of the division and was forced to leave the belt due to an injury. Nonetheless, according to Brian Butler, Hill’s manager, the fighter will get the title shot “right away.” Following this, Pereira implied that Hill would indeed be his next fight.
To better cement his place, Hill negated Ankalaev’s statement by underlining his past wins prior to the injury and his ability to attract the audience for a pay-per-view event.
“We’re in the entertainment business, and you’re not entertaining,” Hill said on his YouTube channel. “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.”
