Hill insists we’ve seen Pereira’s striking at its best, but we haven’t even scratched the surface of what ‘Sweet Dreams’ is capable of on the feet.
Jamahal Hill believes Alex Pereira doesn’t have many options when it comes to game planning their UFC 300 title fight, and none of them are very good.
In a new interview with UFC.com, the former light heavyweight champion dismissed chatter that Pereira’s striking skill is on a higher level than his.
“Shut up. Shut up, bro,” Hill said. “He’s been pieced up before. We’ve seen him pieced up. We’ve seen him dominated. We’ve seen him knocked out. We’ve seen him rocked. We’ve seen your level. We’ve never seen my level. I’ve never even seen my peak level.”
“I’m already levels above what people see and what I’ve had to show,” he continued. “The level I’m truly, truly on is way above what people have seen — not just from myself, but from others. I’m dominating these guys and I haven’t scratched the surface.”
The “Sweet Dreams” striking we’ve seen thus far has been against grappling-heavy opponents. Hill argues he won’t have to worry much about that side of things against Pereira.
“This dude don’t have that f—ing option. He don’t have that option of ‘I’m gonna see if I can take him down.’ He grabs me, he’s f—ing done! He grabs me, he’s done. I’m not Jan. I’m not Jiri. I’m not one of these dudes that got you on the ground and laid on you. When I get you down, I get on top of you, I f— you up, period.”
For Jamahal, it’s all an opportunity to prove everyone wrong yet again.
“What’s greater than the whole f—ing world doubting you,” he asked. “Trying to tell you that you can’t do something, and then you go out and show them they don’t know nothing?”