Tag: Jamahal Hill

Jon Jones Says He’ll Only Entertain ‘Super Fights’ Like Derrick Lewis & Jamahal Hill After UFC 309

Jon Jones won’t extend his fighting career beyond UFC 309 to unify the heavyweight title, but he will if it means fighting the likes of Derrick Lewis and Jamahal Hill. Jones is set to headline this weekend’s pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden, returning 20 months on from his crowning to defend the heavyweight gold for […]

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Jon Jones won’t extend his fighting career beyond UFC 309 to unify the heavyweight title, but he will if it means fighting the likes of Derrick Lewis and Jamahal Hill.

Jones is set to headline this weekend’s pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden, returning 20 months on from his crowning to defend the heavyweight gold for the very first time opposite Stipe Miocic.

Rather than the matchup itself, the main talking point in recent months and days has been the former light heavyweight kingpin’s decision to avoid facing interim titleholder Tom Aspinall, who earned his belt last November as a result of an injury to “Bones.”

And more than just not facing that challenge next, Jones has recently rejected the possibility of fighting Aspinall post-UFC 309 entirely, instead pointing to Alex Pereira as an opponent he’d be willing to share the cage with.

In a media scrum during UFC 309 fight week, Jones continued to dismiss fighting his interim counterpart. This time, though, he added more names to the list of potential opponents he’d favor over the Brit.

But it perhaps came as a surprise when the names Lewis and Hill followed the term “super fights.”

“I could see myself after this entertaining super fights only,” Jones said. “If we get a dominant performance, I’m prepared to vacate the heavyweight championship and fight for fun. I want to fight for fun. … I don’t necessarily want it to be over, but I just want to fight for fun.

“I think about one of my teammates, Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, he just fights. Win, lose, or draw, he just fights. I would love to kind of experience that for the first time in my career, just not having this belt to protect. Just fighting guys that I’d stylistically want to fight against,” Jones continued. “Random fights like Jamahal Hill. … I’m at an interesting weight where I can fight light heavyweights or heavyweights. Derrick Lewis, Biggest knockout puncher in history.”

Aspinall’s stoppage wins against Alexander Volkov, Sergei Pavlovich, and Curtis Blaydes haven’t stopped Jones branding the Brit’s résumé unworthy of his time, but “Bones” clearly holds Hill’s victories over Jimmy Crute, Johnny Walker, Thiago Santos, and a retiring Glover Teixeira en route to the then-vacant title in high regard.

Lewis, meanwhile, is without a win streak since 2021 and has lost five of his last eight fights.

Suffice to say, it would appear unlikely that the ‘ducking’ accusations being leveled against Jones would dissipate should he vacate the heavyweight title in order to fight the likes of “Sweet Dreams” and “The Black Beast.”

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Jamahal Hill Roasts ‘Boring’ Ankalaev vs. Raki? At UFC 308: ‘Against Alex & I…’

Consider former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill among those unimpressed by Magomed Ankalaev’s latest victory. After controversially being snubbed of the chance to challenge reigning champion Alex Pereira in Utah earlier this month, Ankalaev returned nine months on from his main event win over Johnny Walker to meet the highly regarded Aleksandar Raki?. The […]

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Consider former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill among those unimpressed by Magomed Ankalaev’s latest victory.

After controversially being snubbed of the chance to challenge reigning champion Alex Pereira in Utah earlier this month, Ankalaev returned nine months on from his main event win over Johnny Walker to meet the highly regarded Aleksandar Raki?.

The pair shared the Octagon on the main card of this past weekend’s UFC 308 pay-per-view, with the Russian getting the nod on the scorecards to extend his undefeated streak to 13 straight fights in Abu Dhabi.

During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Hill reacted to the events that unfolded inside the Etihad Arena on Saturday night, unsurprisingly paying close attention to the crucial contest that played out in his division.

The former champ had criticisms for both contenders, noting a “lack of weapons” on the part of Ankalaev and poor “fight IQ” from Raki? across the three-round contest in the Middle East.

“Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Raki?, holy sh*t, what a pretty boring fight,” Hill said. “Pretty boring, fellas. I’m going to be real. I’m always going to be real whenever it comes to talking about fights, and this fight was boring. It showed a lack of weapons — I’m not going to say on Raki?’s side, because Raki? kind of got into his bag a little bit and showed some of the weapons he has. It showed a lack of weapons on Magomed’s end.

“I’ll get into that. it seems like we’re probably going to be on a collision course,” Hill continued. “Raki? showed a lack of fight IQ. Magomed is wholeheartedly a counter fighter. That’s what I mean by lack of tools. Lack of tools is being able to come forward and enter, things that actually get you forward. That’s not something that he’s good at doing, which, against Alex (Pereira) and I, is going to be a problem.”

Those comments come as little surprise given Hill’s immediate reaction on social media, which marked a repeat of his cageside response to Pereira’s successful title defense in Salt Lake City earlier this month.

But despite his less than positive assessment of the latest win on Ankalaev’s unbeaten run, Hill did admit that the Dagestani is deserving of a long-awaited second title shot in the UFC. And Dana White appeared to reluctantly share the same sentiment during his post-fight press conference.

“Sweet Dreams,” meanwhile, will be looking ahead to his chance to return to winning ways in pursuit of a shot against the Pereira vs. Ankalaev victor.

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Khalil Rountree Reacts To Jamahal Hill’s Yawn After Alex Pereira Fight

When Khalil Rountree stepped into the main event slot at UFC 307 to face Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title, he wanted to put on a show. Of course, leaving Salt Lake City with the belt was always the number one priority but Rountree always aims to entertain. He was unsuccessful in dethroning “Poatan” […]

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When Khalil Rountree stepped into the main event slot at UFC 307 to face Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title, he wanted to put on a show. Of course, leaving Salt Lake City with the belt was always the number one priority but Rountree always aims to entertain.

He was unsuccessful in dethroning “Poatan” but that didn’t stop the fight from being an entertaining watch after the challenger was able to make it competitive in the opening rounds.

This opinion seemingly wasn’t shared by former champion Jamahal Hill who later clarified his yawning response at the end of the main event.

Hill stated on his YouTube channel that him yawning after the UFC 307 headliner wasn’t due to the fight not being an engaging watch for the four rounds that it lasted. “Sweet Dreams” claims that his reaction was more based on him not seeing anything surprising or impressive from either competitor, hence why he was bored.

Rountree gave his take on this in a recent interview with MMA Junkie where he stated that he’s glad that Hill gave more context to this clip. The former title challenger was originally set to face Hill at UFC 303 earlier this year but when the fight didn’t materialize, Rountree went straight to the champion instead.

He said that after seeing the video of Hill on social media after the fight, he was slightly puzzled by his reaction but isn’t too concerned by his explanation either.

“It’s nice to hear the clarification because based off the crowd response and everything that I’ve seen, other articles and posts that I’ve seen, majority of people seemed to think it was an entertaining fight. So I was a bit confused to see why maybe he thought it was boring or worth a yawn but like I said, the clarification definitely helps and yeah, not everyone’s going to think the same. Not everyone’s going to be entertained. It’s good, if there’s nothing to be scared of, like cool.”  

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Former UFC Champ Highlights ‘Weirdest Thing’ About Fighting Alex Pereira

Alex Pereira will defend his UFC light heavyweight champion against Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 this weekend. Winning would help him break Ronda Rousey’s record and make him the UFC champion to defend their belt three times in the shortest duration. Pereira’s rise to the top of the sport is unprecedented. He got a title […]

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Alex Pereira will defend his UFC light heavyweight champion against Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 this weekend. Winning would help him break Ronda Rousey’s record and make him the UFC champion to defend their belt three times in the shortest duration.

Pereira’s rise to the top of the sport is unprecedented. He got a title shot at Israel Adesanya after just three fights in the UFC and bagged the middleweight championship by knocking out the long-time champ in the fifth.

After his only UFC loss to “The Last Stylebender”, “Poatan” has continued his impressive run in the light heavyweight division. According to Daniel Cormier, fighting the Brazilian is a huge mental challenge as well, and Rountree might be already doing better than the likes of Jamahal Hill and Ji?í Procházka…

Daniel Cormier Gives Khalil Rountree The Edge Over Jamahal Hill And Ji?í Procházka Ahead Of UFC 307 Title Fight Against Alex Pereira

Cormier interviewed Rountree on his YouTube channel recently. When asked about the odds heavily favoring the champion, Rountree stated that people underestimate him because he doesn’t talk trash and is usually respectful during interviews.

To this, Cormier couldn’t help but bring up how fighters act unusual before taking on Pereira. Hill used several antics to try and get into the UFC light heavyweight kingpin’s head, with DC recalling him trying to break the arrow during Pereira’s walkout at UFC 300. Following the KO loss, Hill has been called out by fans for making excuses as well.

Prochazka, who’s lost twice to Pereira, recently claimed that the Brazilian uses black magic and spirits to beat his opponents. For someone as stoic as the Czech fighter, these claims were called strange by many.

Rountree, according to Cormier, doesn’t seem to be acting unusual leading up to his UFC 307 title fight. He’s still the nice guy in interviews and isn’t feeling the pressure of facing an intimidating opponent like Pereira.

“That’s you, right? That’s you! But, the weirdest thing about Pereira and dealing with Pereira, people start to act like not themselves. So, when he was walking to the Octagon, Jamahal Hill was like reaching over the cage like come on! He’s like very animated. Ji?í Procházka is just doing all kind of weird s**t. Jiri doing all kind of crazy s**t up in there. He’s doing this, he’s doing.. Jiri’s just not acting like himself, right?”

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Jiri Prochazka promises fight news, calls for Jamahal Hill: ‘I will let you know soon’

Jiri Prochazka promises fight news, calls for Jamahal Hill: 'I will let you know soon'Amid calls for a title-eliminator with fellow former light heavyweight champion, Jamahal Hill earlier over the course of the…

Jiri Prochazka promises fight news, calls for Jamahal Hill: 'I will let you know soon'

Amid calls for a title-eliminator with fellow former light heavyweight champion, Jamahal Hill earlier over the course of the weekend, Jiri Prochazka has now confirmed he should receive news on his next fight soon.

Prochazka, the current number one ranked light heavyweight challenger, has been sidelined since he headlined UFC 303 in a short-notice showdown with two-time foe, Alex Pereira during the International Fight Week event.

Jiri Prochazka reveals staph infection before Alex Pereira fight everything wasn't fine

And dropping his second career loss to the Brazilian star, Jiri Prochazka was felled with a stunning second round high-kick knockout – his second defeat to Pereira since their vacant title clash back in November of last year in Madison Square Garden.

As for Hill, the Illinois native himself has yet to return since he headlined UFC 300 back in April against common-foe, Pereira, dropping his own spectacular opening round knockout loss to the Sao Paulo finishing ace.

Jiri Prochazka eyes third fight with Alex Pereira despite UFC 303 loss I know I can beat him

Jiri Prochazka eyes title eliminator with Jamahal Hill

And with both eyeing their way back to a title grudge fight with the former two-weight titleholder, Pereira, Prochazka has suggested he fight Hill next – hoping to land himself a quickfire return to action.

Jiri Prochazka weighs up fight with Jamahal Hill in UFC return I'm thinking of names

“I’m here in Perth, just came back from training and the event,” Jiri Prochazka said on his official Instagram account. “A really great event and fights. Congrats to all the winners – not just the winners, everyone. And about my next fight – I will let you [know] soon. Stay here, and now, let’s go for that.”

In his most recent win, Czech Republic native, Prochazka landed a stunning, rallying knockout win over fellow European favorite, Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 300 – earning himself a rematch fight with Pereira just months later on short-notice. 

Receiving flak for his next Octagon walk, Pereira is slated to headline UFC 307 at the beginning of October, taking on surging challenger, Khalil Rountree – who is returning from a controversial anti-doping violation just earlier this annum. 

Jamahal Hill Claps Back At Magomed Ankalaev Over LHW Title Drama: ‘Bro, You Light Work For Me!’

A lot of MMA fans were surprised to see that Alex Pereira’s next UFC light heavyweight title defense will be against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 in October. Despite Rountree having an impressive run of finishes with back-to-back wins last year, many expected to see Magomed Ankalaev get the next shot at “Poatan”. Instead, […]

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A lot of MMA fans were surprised to see that Alex Pereira’s next UFC light heavyweight title defense will be against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 in October.

Despite Rountree having an impressive run of finishes with back-to-back wins last year, many expected to see Magomed Ankalaev get the next shot at “Poatan”.

Instead, Ankalaev will be taking on Aleksandar Raki? at UFC 308 where a win over another top contender will surely see him earn a second shot at the 205-pound title.

He was unsurprisingly critical of the UFC’s decision to book Pereira against Rountree Jr. but some of his comments struck a nerve with another one of the light heavyweight division’s big names.

Jamahal Hill Says He’d Be Willing To Fight Magomed Ankalaev At UFC 308

During a recent YouTube video on his channel, Jamahal Hill gave his reaction to Ankalaev’s comments after the announcement.

Hill believes that Ankalaev has looked to gain popularity from the fans by coming at him to try and win some of them over.

The former champion also referenced how the Dagestani fighter hasn’t always been in the UFC’s good books, believing that he has bitten his tongue this time around rather than publicly slamming the promotion for not booking him as the next title challenger.

“I made a reaction video about the Khalil Rountree and Alex Pereira fight announcement and there was one guy in particular who yeah, I will agree he’s been given the run-around by the business right and I’m assuming now, he’s learned his lesson now to watch his mouth ‘cuz as you know, we talking about Mrs, I ain’t even going to, little ‘Frudamed Gankalaev’, ankle grabber, whatever you want to call him. This dude just can’t stop trying to like clout chase in whatever way he can. bro like, you fought to a draw, you had your chance, you had your chance of winning the title.

“Now, I am one of the people that agree that he should have been next in the title shot above Khalil Rountree, and I spoke on this. But, for you to say like, say I’m crying because I spoke on an obvious fact of the game that affects everybody in our weight class and things like that, I see what you tried to do bro. You see that the whole fan base, they’re kinda against me, they kind of want to throw s*** on me and s*** like that. You think that you can get some cool points by jumping on that bandwagon and trying to call me out. Stop it bro, stop it bro. I would expect a low IQ move like that from you, you know what I mean. You don’t want to say anything about the fight being announced because you’ve now learned your lesson from the time whenever you lost, talking about you don’t want to fight for the UFC…and now they have now smacked your hand and now you know to watch your mouth and stay in check.

Hill ended the video by saying that he would be open to stepping in to face Ankalaev if, for whatever reason, Raki? is unable to compete on October 26 in Abu Dhabi.

“Sweet Dreams” was originally scheduled to make a quick turnaround after losing the title but withdrew from UFC 303 in June due to an injury.

“They don’t even like you enough to let you fight [for the title] over the #8 dude! So chill out bro, chill out tryna get cool points bro, focus on other s***. You got a fight coming up against Raki?, shout out to Raki? cuz’ he’s very well capable of putting your a** out. But, best believe if my phone ring and they need somebody to come step in and handle you, bro you’re light work for me. You’re light work for me and I can’t wait to show that.”

Read also: Dricus Du Plessis’ Coach Offers Alternative To Alex Pereira’s Middleweight Tease: ‘I Won’t Give Him The Joy…’

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