Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jamahal Hill was not entirely impressed by how Alex Pereira handled his bout with Jiří Procházka at UFC 295. And now that the Brazilian owns the belt, Hill said he would show who the “real champ” is when he comes back.
Not everyone was thrilled by how the Pereira vs. Procházka fight ended, and that includes Hill. According to the light heavyweight fighter in an interview with TNT Sports, Pereira could have let the fight last longer, suggesting his disapproval of how fast the victory came to the new champ.
“I thought the stoppage was a little early, they could’ve let it go a little bit more, give [Jiří Procházka] a chance to defend himself a little more,” Hill said. “But overall, [Alex Pereira] landed some good shots…overall, I just think I’m on a different level than what I saw.”
Hill won the title, which was vacant at that time, against Glover Teixeira in January. However, it was the last in his current four-winning streak after it caused him to injure his Achilles tendon and later vacant the belt. Nonetheless, Sweet Dreams is confident that he could take the title back when he returns after healing his injury.
“Whenever I come back, whoever’s posing as champion will have to see the real champ…[recovery] is going really good, I’ll be ready to start camp by January, and from there we’ll just get locked in and get rolling from there,” the former light heavyweight champ said. “Hopefully second quarter of next year [I’ll return].”
While the timeline of his return is still uncertain, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed that Hill is now the pick of the promotion company for Pereira’s next bout. White shared that Hill is recovering without issues, calling the fight between the two as something that “makes sense.”
