Alex Pereira faces a massive task ahead of him come Saturday night. Fighting in the main event of UFC 300, one of the biggest occasions in sports history, there is a lot of weight on his shoulders. However, Pereira will have his mentor Glover Teixeira with him, every step of the way.
For those unaware, ‘Poatan’ was asked to prepone his fight against the former light heavyweight champion, Jamahal Hill. Initially, the fight was scheduled to headline UFC 301, in Brazil. However, with the UFC’s plans for a main event falling through, they were forced to make some last-minute changes.
We 👏 Can’t 👏 Wait 👏#UFC300 is almost here 👀
Buy the PPV early: https://t.co/kOInf4xnPV pic.twitter.com/28gPiZopRA
— UFC (@ufc) March 24, 2024
Despite a lot of mixed reactions, the fans have become more accepting of the fight as UFC 300’s main event. After all, the event is incredibly stacked and has turned out better than what a lot of people expected. Additionally, there have been many storylines coming into the fight as well.
Glover Teixeira reveals his thoughts on Israel Adesanya helping Jamahal Hill
Previously, it was revealed that Jamahal Hill had seemingly sought council from former middleweight champ, Israel Adesanya. In the past, Adesanya and Alex Pereira have had numerous wars, in kickboxing and then in the UFC as well. Notably, in their last encounter, Izzy handed Pereira his first UFC loss and vanquished him from the division.
Thus, with Israel being Alex’s sworn rival and the man who has fought him the most, it would make sense why Hill would seek his advice. In a recent interview with SHAK MMA, Alex Pereira’s mentor, Glover Teixeira revealed why Adesanya’s involvement will not be a big game changer for Jamahal Hill.
“How many times are you gonna fight and that fight is gonna turn to Izzy’s side? I don’t see that happening. I don’t see Izzy being able to beat Alex.”
“But he is a great fighter and for sure, (if) he’s in anybody’s corner, he’s gonna help anybody. He can definitely be a help for sure.”
“If you say, Izzy, Jon Jones, or some high-level guys like (Dustin) Poirier, it’s all gonna help big-time because of their experience, but it is not something that is gonna be magic.”
For the most part, Glover admits that any high-level fighter can be a big help, however, it is up to the fighter to truly deliver in the end. Thus, even somebody like Israel, whom Teixeira believes loses to Alex Pereira almost every time they fight, will not be a ‘game-changer’ for Jamahal Hill. At the same time, he also admits that his guidance is not a massive game changer for Pereira either, rather it’s the fighter’s own hard work responsible for his success.
Does Glover Teixeira want Alex Pereira to ‘avenge’ his loss to Jamahal Hill?
Coming into the fight, a major talking point has been about Alex Pereira fulfilling Glover Teixeira’s legacy and avenging his loss to Jamahal Hill. During Glover’s retirement fight at UFC 283 in Brazil last year, Alex was cageside, in his mentor’s corner, watching him take some brutal punishment at the hand of Hill. Following the fight, the two even exchanged glances, with many theorizing a potential matchup.
At the time, no one truly expected it to actually come to fruition. Yet, just a little over a year later, we have Alex Pereira taking on the same opponent, defending the title that Hill vacated after suffering an Achilles injury. Despite it being a major talking point leading up to the fight, Glover seemingly does not agree with the narrative at all.
“That’s what the fans like to hear, you know. But the reality is like, I’m good, I’m doing fine you know.”
“In a way, in a way, of course. Alex was there rooting for me when I fought Jiri and Jiri got his hand raised, we were all upset.”
“With Jamahal, it’s the same way, it’s not a personal thing, it’s just the game you know, it’s just the sport. You go in and you try to beat the guy that beat you. I don’t think Alex has that (revenge) in his mind, he’ll fight anyone because he just wanna keep that belt.”
Thus, according to Teixeira, Alex Pereira is not leaning into the ‘revenge’ narrative at all. He is looking to build his own legacy and solidify his spot at the top level of the sport. When all is said and done, Pereira hopes to be etched in the history books as one of the best to ever do it. Should he triumph over Hill at UFC 300, it will certainly go a long way in further improving his already great legacy.
