Jamahal Hill shared his side of the story of what happened between him and UFC light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira on Thursday at the UFC Performance Institute.
The bad blood between Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill reached a boiling point when they ran into each other while training at the UFC PI in Las Vegas. In a now-viral clip, Pereira and Hill nearly came to blows after a heated back-and-forth verbal spat, featuring Pereira challenging Hill to a fight and throwing gloves at him.
Luckily, Pereira’s coach Plinio Cruz separated the two light heavyweights, and cooler heads eventually prevailed. But, the altercation between Pereira and Hill made waves after weeks of online banter between the two sides.
Hill, who regularly trains at the UFC PI, has since explained his version of events of what led up to him and Pereira nearly throwing hands.
- READ MORE: Watch Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill nearly come to blows at the UFC PI after weeks of online taunts
Jamahal Hill details what happened with Alex Pereira at the UFC PI
During a recent episode of War Council, Hill gave his side of what happened between him and Pereira at the UFC PI.
“I was at the PI earlier, Alex was there. I just finished working out, he was working out, and I went to go up and have a conversation. Ask him what we on? We don’t have to talk across Twitter because I’m right here,” Hill said. “Initially when I went up to him, it was smooth. ‘Don’t run to heavyweight and I’m going to go ahead and handle business, and we need to run it back!’. And in the exchange, he said something to his translator, and his translator said ‘He said you’re still sleeping, woke up and s***!’. I’m wide awake now! You can get put to sleep for real!
“Then it kind of went to a fake a** ‘Yeah, come get the gloves and go in the cage’. What the f*** we need gloves for? We’re not getting paid right now. I get paid to put on gloves and fight. When I’m out in a situation like that, we could throw hands right now! I’m not ‘finna wait, take time, put no gloves on or none of that s***. We can throw hands right now! And his response was just to stand there. So f*** it, we’ll get paid. I’m not going to ruin my bread because here’s the thing right? If I just reached over and hit him right there, I possibly lose out on my next fight, and any opportunities I have left. Restrictions now at the PI and all these other things… we made a lot of money the first time we fought, so why wouldn’t I make a lot of money when I knock his a** out the next time?”
Pereira knocked out Hill in the UFC 300 main event earlier this year, a fight that was booked on weeks’ notice. Before the Hill knockout, Pereira earned the then-vacant title by defeating Jiří Procházka at UFC 295.
Hill will make his return to the Octagon next month against Jiří Procházka at UFC 311, his first Octagon appearance since the Pereira fight. A win over Procházka would likely earn him a title shot for his next bout.
Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill 2 adds to potential 2025 UFC wish list
Pereira most recently defended his UFC light heavyweight title by finishing Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307. A cageside Hill was yawning in reaction to Pereira’s victory, prompting a fiery response from the champion.
While Hill is eager to get a second shot at Pereira, he’ll likely have to wait in favor of Magomed Ankalaev, who is on a lengthy unbeaten streak. Pereira is expected to face Ankalaev for his next title defense next year, although a timeframe for his return is uncertain.
One thing is abundantly clear; there remains no love between Pereira and Hill after their UFC 300 clash. It could be only a matter of time until these two giants square off again, and after their viral altercation, the rematch is bigger than first thought.