Jamahal Hill on Israel Adesanya wisdom ahead of Alex Pereira title clash

By Christopher Reive

Jamahal Hill is leaving no stone unturned in his bid to resume his reign over the UFC light heavyweight division.

It was a throne he never actually lost.

In 2023, Hill made the decision to relinquish the title he won in January that year after suffering an Achilles injury. He didn’t want to hold the division up while recovering, so he vacated his championship.

Now back in fighting shape, Hill is looking to resume his reign when he meets current division champion Alex Pereira in the headline fight at UFC 300 in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Among the steps he has taken to prepare for the bout, Hill reached out to Israel Adesanya, with the Kiwi former two-time middleweight champion having fought Pereira four times across kickboxing and in the UFC.

“It was a chat about his experience with Alex and some things he understands,” Hill told the Herald. “I had some fight-related, in-depth, technological questions that I had for him to just pick his mind and his experience in that realm.

“He’s one of the best minds that we’ve had in our sport, he’s one of the most experienced combat sports athletes of recent memory and I’m always a student and always ready to learn.

“Izzy’s my bro so if he’s willing to talk, let me know, put me on game and show me something, I’m going to shut up and I’m going to listen.”

Hill said he came away from the discussion feeling like he was on the right track and knew what to do when he was locked in the cage with Pereira on Sunday.

Ironically, it was a position Adesanya himself was training towards being in, with the Kiwi’s team expecting they would be challenging Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title in the event’s main event, but the South African champion declined the fight due to injury. Instead, Hill got the call from the UFC in mid-April to meet Pereira in the headliner.

It’s a big spot to be in, with the UFC matchmakers trying to load the milestone card with the best fights they could put together - Hill’s bout against Pereira being one of three title fights and the big selling point at the top of the bill.

Both Hill and Pereira have lost just once inside the UFC octagon and have proven their respective abilities to stop a fight at any moment. Such was the case when Pereira won the title in his last fight, knocking Jiri Prochazka out with a slick combination just when it looked like the Czech fighter was taking over.

Hill, whose last fight was against Pereira’s coach Glover Texeira, said he took plenty away from the Brazilian’s title-winning performance against Prochazka.

“I saw some things that, if he shows up with against me, I will definitely exploit,” Hill said. “But he also showed that even on a night like that, it doesn’t matter. He’s got that one to go; if you make a mistake, the fight can be over.

“I saw the challenge. I saw some good things; some things I like and some things I need to take into consideration and make sure I’m on my A-game about.”

Hill added that, regardless of the opponent, he knew what he was capable of.

“I’m the best in this game. I’m not afraid to say it, I’m not ashamed to say it and, if you think I’m wrong about it, I’m not afraid to show you.”

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission