UFC 300 blew the roof off T-Mobile Arena last Saturday night (April 13, 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada, leaving several fighters feeling the post-fight blues after an action-packed night. Among them was Aleksandar Rakic, who was stopped by Jiri Prochazka via second-round technical knockout (see it again here).
And Cody Garbrandt, who was choked out by Deiveson Figueiredo in the opening fight of the night (highlights). But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?
Jamahal Hill.
Coming into his Light Heavyweight title fight against division champion, Alex Pereira, Hill had all the motivation in the word to recapture his world title after he was forced to vacate the strap after suffering a terrible injury. After all, it can’t be fun having to sit out and watch someone else rule the division with a belt you never lost in a fight.
And “Sweet Dreams” wasn’t lacking in confidence because he was not shy in letting everyone know what he was going to do to the “monster” they call “Poatan.” During fight week, he turned up the volume and tried to do all he could to get into Pereira’s head.
That proved to be his downfall.
Hill never got much going because Pereira — who is a master of gauging distance — was calculated with his approach as he has grown accustomed to do. After getting hit with a low blow, Pereira was quick to wave off referee Herb Dean, who was about to step in for a break in action. Instead, “Poatan” simply put his hand up to tell the longtime official to step back.
Seconds later, the 205-pound champion tagged Hill with a massive left hook that floored him. From there, the towering Brazilian pounced like a cheetah on a wounded gazelle and started unloading one big bomb after another, this time allowing Dean to step in to do his job.
After the loss, Hill was quick to issue a response on social media and seemed to be in good spirits despite the setback because he was on his way to a night club.
“Oh well, that’s the game we play,” Hill said. “I got caught. For anyone that cares, I’m good. I’m well. We’re still doing our thing tonight, you know where we’re at — we’re over at Hakkasan. Yeah, man. We’re just built to come right back.”
The loss snapped Hill’s ’s four-fight win streak and is just the second defeat for him under the UFC banner during his four years with the promotion. As far as what could be next for “Sweet Dreams,” a fight against Jan Blachowicz seems to be the next logical step.
Like Hill, Blachowicz is coming off a loss to Pereira, though that was in Jan. 2023. The Polish bomber was in line to return against Aleksandar Rakic earlier this year before a shoulder injury forced him out of the fight.
That’s our suggestion, how about you give us yours in the comments section below.
For complete UFC 300 results, coverage and highlights click HERE.