Joe Rogan offered his take on the impending light heavyweight title tilt between newly minted world champion Alex Pereira and former titleholder Jamahal Hill.
Hill successfully claimed the title in January 2023, securing a decisive unanimous decision victory over Glover Teixeira. Unfortunately, ‘Sweet Dreams’ never got the opportunity to defend the gold. Waiting for Jiri Prochazka to return from a shoulder injury, Hill suffered a ruptured Achilles, forcing him to vacate the title.
That paved the way for Pereira to claim his second UFC belt in as many weight classes at the promotion’s 30th-anniversary showcase in Madison Square Garden last month.
Speaking about their inevitable clash with former 205-pound titleholder Daniel Cormier during an episode of his popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, the longtime UFC commentator suggested that Jamahal Hill would present Pereira with a very unique challenge inside the Octagon.
“I think Jamahal Hill’s a real challenge for him,” Rogan said. “Jamahal’s a sniper, man. He finds chins, he’s clever, dude. Jamahal’s got some nasty hands, man. He really does have some nasty hands.”
Joe Rogan Says Jamahal Hill Has Never Fought Someone Like Alex Pereira
However, Rogan does question Hill’s strength of schedule, noting that he has never faced an opponent on the level of Alex Pereira.
“You know, I have never seen [Hill] fight anybody of that caliber, yet, but I think he’s capable,” Rogan said. “What he did to Glover was very impressive. Just beat him up. I mean, when you think how Jiri struggled with Glover, and then Jamahal Hill just pieced him up. Oh my God, and it was clever, it was smooth” (h/t MMAKnockout.com).
With Hill still focused on recovering from his ankle injury, no official date has been announced for his clash with Pereira. ‘Sweet Dreams’ hasn’t ruled out a potential return at UFC 300, but he did suggest that summer 2024 was the likeliest scenario.