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When the Ultimate Fighting Championship came calling to offer him a spot atop the promotion’s 300th event, Jamahal Hill jumped at the opportunity.
Hill is set to return to action for the first time since January 2023 when he meets current light heavyweight king Alex Pereira in the UFC 300 main event on April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The bout seemingly came together at the last minute, as it was announced by Dana White at the conclusion of UFC 298 on Saturday night.
“I’m at a loss for words,” Hill said in a backstage interview with the UFC. “For them to have that trust that I could come and show up and put on a main event that’s worthy of a card of this magnitude motivates me and fires me up. It fires my team up. We’re ready to go. The time off has also fired me up. I’m just ready to go. I’m ready to get back in there.
“You always want to be appreciated for your work and the things that you sacrifice,” he added. “That’s all that is them rewarding it and showing their appreciation for it. And showing their belief in me as a fighter, in the personality and who I can be for this company.”
Hill defeated Glover Texeira at UFC 283 in January 2023 to capture the vacant light heavyweight crown. His reign was short-lived, however, as a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in a pickup basketball game forced him to relinquish the belt.
“I haven’t been able to do this for a year,” Hill said. “I’ve been having to sit on the sidelines watching other people live their dream. My dream has been put on hold. So the biggest thing is just taking it all in and appreciating the blessing.”
Hill says he is fully recovered from the injury. Now it’s just a matter of getting in fight shape and preparing to face Pereira in a little less than two months.
“I’ve been back training full speed for the last couple few weeks now. It’s been good,” Hill said. “You’ve got to build your conditioning, your cardio and things back up. For me, mine never falls off too far. It’s just a couple sessions of diving back into it, hard work, and we’re back rolling.”
Pereira has accomplished quite a bit in a short period of time since transitioning to MMA. The former Glory two-division champion was a UFC champion at middleweight before successfully moving to 205 pounds and claiming the strap vacated by Hill with a win over Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 this past November.
“I think he’s a great champion,” Hill said. “He’s been a champion in two different divisions. He’s shown his pedigree and who he is as a combat athlete in both sports. I respect him as an athlete. I respect him as a man, as a father. I’m excited for the challenge. He’s ready to put on a show. He’s not scared. He comes to throw down and that’s exactly what I’m down for.”
While Hill respects Pereira, he is more than confident in his ability to emerge victorious when they square off in the Octagon.
Now Fully Healthy, Jamahal Hill Vows to 'Show Dominance' in UFC 300 Headliner
When the Ultimate Fighting Championship came calling to offer him a spot atop the promotion’s 300th event, Jamahal Hill jumped at the opportunity.
