Former UFC middleweight king Israel Adesanya has picked American Jamahal Hill to knock out his rival Alex Pereira in the highly anticipated UFC 300 main event this Sunday.
Alex Pereira, a knockout artist who captured UFC titles in both middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, faces Hill, a former light heavyweight champion who vacated his belt due to injury.
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This will be Hill’s return fight after defeating Glover Teixeira for the vacant light heavyweight title in January 2023. Alex Pereira, meanwhile, has been on a tear since his knockout loss to Adesanya last year. He secured impressive victories over Jan Błachowicz (unanimous decision) and Jiří Procházka (knockout) to capture the light heavyweight crown.
Despite Pereira’s power, Adesanya believes Hill has the edge.
“Jamahal, I just don’t think is scared,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “He’s got scary knockout power too, and Alex Pereira can be knocked out. He’s beatable, we all know this, and I’ve proven it.”
“I’m going with Jamahal by KO. I think it’s gonna be in the first two and a half rounds.”
Hill sought advice from Adesanya, known for his strategic fighting, to gain insights into Pereira’s style due to the history both fighters share.
“Israel was just giving me some advice and insights on what he’s seen and his experience of being in there fighting Alex Pereira,” Hill revealed. “Basically those things and how to approach the fight.”
The animosity between Adesanya and Pereira stems from their kickboxing days, where Pereira defeated Adesanya twice. Adesanya finally got his revenge with a knockout win in the UFC last year.
