‘Sweet Dreams’ is cautioning ‘Po Atan’ from pursuing a fight with him right now.
Jamahal Hill says Alex Pereira should focus on his rematch with Israel Adesanya, not a fight against him.
After defeating his friend and mentor Glover Teixeira for the vacant UFC light heavyweight championship at UFC 283 in January, Hill has received a call-out or two from Pereira. ‘Po Atan’ considered a move from 185 to 205 for ’Sweet Dreams,’ who predicted he would ‘knock him the f—k out’ in a potential fight.
Though Hill vs. Pereira has generated interest recently, the Contender Series alum has said that fight is a long way from happening. Why? Because the UFC middleweight champion has his hands full with a rematch with Adesanya, which Hill implored Pereira to focus on now.
“I think he should probably focus on Izzy because he was getting his ass whooped for a good majority of that fight last time before he won,” said Hill in a recent interview with the Schmo. “Where was that quick stop energy at when I was on top of his boy? Because that was the same ref, right?”
Before he finished Adesanya by fifth-round TKO at UFC 281 this past November, Pereira was down 3-1 on the judges’ scorecards. Based on his overall performance, Hill sees a short-lived reign for Pereira.
“He had some things happen for him like the leg check at the end,” said Hill. “But I think if Izzy just throw hands, just boxes him. Just be quick and outbox him, he’ll win.”
For his first defense, Hill hopes to have Ji?í Procházka in front of him. The former champion is still recovering from the shoulder injury he suffered in training, but targets a return in Summer.
About the author: Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016. (full bio)