The UFC 311 pre-fight press conference has just wrapped up, and it’s safe to say that the LA crowd made their feelings known about who they’d be supporting on Saturday evening.
Whilst there was sizable support for each of the four athletes in the main and co-main events, the ‘villain’ of UFC 311 is undoubtedly former light heavyweight champion, Jamahal Hill.
Not only was ‘Sweetdreams’ forced to wait for various ‘Chama’ chants to die down before answering media questions but also revealed that his family had sadly been harassed by obsessed ‘Poatan’ fans.
Jamahal Hill drowned out by Alex Pereira fans at UFC 311 press conference
It’s been 10 months since Jamahal Hill was brutally knocked out by Alex Pereira at UFC 300, and the Los Angeles crowd certainly hadn’t forgotten about that as fighters graced the stage for the UFC 311 pre-fight press conference.
As soon as the 12-2 light heavyweight walked on, the boos began to ring out; with fans of Alex Pereira interrupting his questions to jeer and chant ‘Chama’ towards the former champion.
“You bleedin’ over the people sittin’ next to you, bro,” responded Hill, who was keen to note that at a minimum, he had garnered the attention of an entire arena full of MMA fans.
“They know who I am, they know exactly who I am,” he yelled over the crowd, before stating that the chants of ‘Chama’ poignantly “sound good” from the front.
This ongoing conflict with the wider fanbase shouldn’t come as a surprise, especially after Hill’s viral confrontation with Alex Pereira at the UFC PI late last year.
That being said, ‘Sweetdreams’ certainly hasn’t backed down from the boos or jeers, having previously goaded the Pereira fanbase with over 1,000 fans accepting Hill’s offer to spar.
Whilst Hill was disappointed that ‘not one fan’ actually turned up for that sparring session, there’s no question that his incoming opponent, Jiri Prochazka, will turn up ready for war on January 18.
“I’m preparing for the best Jiri Prochazka that there is, the best Jiri Prochazka that anybody’s seen, that’s what I’ve worked for and that’s what I’ve trained for,” stated Hill, before turning his attention back to the crowd.
“I’m on my way back [to the top] and they’re doing all this [chanting] right now – it’s all good, we know how fickle fans can be… They’re just sucking a whole lot of meat right now.”
Jamahal Hill reveals his family were harassed by Alex Pereira fans
Whilst it’s been fun watching Hill leaning into his ‘villain role’ in recent months, unfortunately, there’s a definitive line that fans have been crossing regarding the harassing of his family members over his rivalry with the Brazilian.
In conversation with ‘The MMA Guru’ earlier this week, Hill revealed that his family members, specifically his young daughter, had been harassed by fans following his loss to Pereira in 2024.
“People were talking s*** and I let them talk, you know what I mean? That’s just part of it, but what got to me was – and I don’t even like saying this – mother****** started hitting up my daughter, and my daughter is nine [years old].
“She texted me and she was legitimately upset, and that s*** really p***** me off, that was when the whole Glover side-by-side thing… Then the whole offering of sparring thing, yeah that was because of that.”
Hill explained that part of the reason why he offered to spar Pereira’s fans is because he “wanted somebody to show up and pay for it.”
Despite Hill continuing to goad the wider MMA fanbase, that’s no reason for any fan to harass a fighter’s family members – and you can’t necessarily blame ‘Sweetdreams’ for being so fired up.
Can he turn that fire into firepower and defeat Jiri Prochazka? Find out on Saturday, January 18.