Two UFC light heavyweight champions – one current, one former – nearly got in the cage at the promotion’s Performance Institute in Las Vegas on Thursday.
Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill certainly have a history, with Pereira, the promotion’s current 205lb king, knocking Hill out in the main event of the historic UFC 300 back in April. The fight was Hill’s first in over a year, thanks to an injury that saw him vacate the light heavyweight title.
A very different, non-title fight almost ensued this week, however. The confrontation – it’s a stretch to call it an altercation, as no blows were landed, or even thrown – took place while both were in training, and resulted in a pair of gloves being thrown. By UFC standards, rather tame, but an encounter that might whet fans’ appetites for a rematch.
The incident was caught on camera by Full Send MMA.
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Both Pereira and Hill have now given their sides of the encounter.
“Well, things happen,” Pereira, speaking with MMA Junkie, said through an interpreter at the World MMA Awards. “This is the first time it’s happened to me, but I’m focused on myself, focused on my thing. Right now, he [Hill] should be worried about his next fight. He has a tough fight with Jiri [Prochazka].”
Hill went into a much longer explanation on his Youtube channel.
“I was at the PI earlier. Alex was there,” Hill stated, recapping the exchange. “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,” he continued. “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 then we need to run it back.’ And in the middle of the exchange, he said something to his translator, and his translator said ‘he said you’re still sleeping, woke up and sh*t.’ I’m wide awake now. You can get put to sleep for real. Then it kind of went to a whole fake ass, ‘yeah, come get the gloves and go in the cage.’”
Hill would go on to question the need for gloves to combat Alex Pereira when the pair weren’t getting paid to fight. “What the f*ck 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 sh*t. We can just throw hands right now, and his response was just to stand there. So f*ck it, we’re going to get paid. I’m not going to ruin my bread, because here’s the thing, right: If I just reached over and hit him there and we started fighting 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.”
Hill, as noted, has a fight booked with Jiri Prochazka at UFC 311 next month. Alex Pereira, who stayed busy in 2024 with three high-profile victories, does not. Magomed Ankalaev, however, is most likely next for “Poatan.”
