SUMMARY
- UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira announced Jamahal Hill as his latest preferred opponent via Instagram.
- Pereira previously believed Ankalaev was a tougher fight for him and he would choose the Russian if he had the option.
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has announced his latest preferred opponent via Instagram. ‘Poatan’ claimed he would like to face former champion Jamahal Hill. Further, the Brazilian also claimed that he wants to make record-breaking title defenses.
Jamahal Hill vacated the light heavyweight title due to injury. Pereira fought Jiri Prochazka for the vacant title at UFC 295 in November 2023. ‘Poatan’ knocked out Prochazka to win his second UFC title. Later in November, Pereira claimed that Magomed Ankalaev was a more difficult fight than Hill to defend his title.
He said in a YouTube video, “Ankalaev would be more difficult… I think it’s a really good challenge for me. It would be harder, I agree, but I’ve been training hard. I’ve been evolving with each session. I would have a strategy for Ankalaev, too, of course. If I could choose, I’d pick him over Hill.”
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However, months later, Pereira has made a U-turn on his choice. He posted footage of a mini face-off he had with Hill while he was accompanying Glover Teixeira at UFC 283. Pereira captioned the Instagram Reel, “Guys, let’s focus on what matters, which is Jamahal and then I’ll focus on breaking another record in making two title defenses in the shortest time possible.”
Hill defeated Teixeira to win the light heavyweight championship. In July 2023, however, Hill announced via his YouTube channel that he was relinquishing his title. ‘Sweet Dreams’ suffered from a ruptured Achilles tendon which was supposed to keep him out for a while. On the other hand, Ankalaev has also staked his claim at the title after a strong KO win over Johnny Walker.
Magomed Ankalaev believes he is first in line for a title shot against Alex Pereira
Ankalaev headlined UFC Vegas 84 with a light heavyweight fight against Walker. It was a rematch from UFC 294 where Ankalaev hit Walker with an illegal knee and rendered him unfit to continue. This time, Ankalaev knocked out Walker legally to gain the win.
Following his win, Ankalaev called out Pereira and claimed ‘Poatan’ was not a threat to him. The Russian claimed he knocked Walker instead of wrestling with him to send Pereira and his trainer a message. He said, “I’m going to stand across from him [Pereira], and I know that he’s been knocked out before as a middleweight so imagine what’s going to happen if I meet him in light heavyweight. Trust me, he’s not going to feel comfortable there.”
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Further, Ankalaev also believes he deserves a title shot more than Hill. He said, “I think here the math works out, the way that I’m more deserving of the belt because I have 10 victories, six of them knockouts, and Jamahal Hill has eight fights total in the UFC… So it’s just clear that I’m a more deserving contender than Jamahal Hill.”
Ankalaev’s last shot at the title was at UFC 282 against Jan Blachowicz. The bout, surprisingly, ended in a draw. As the title was vacant, it remained vacant. The next title shot for the vacant title was in January between Hill and Texeira at UFC 283.
