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As the dust settled on the recent match between Jamahal Hill and Glover Teixeira, the MMA community began to speculate about the possibility of a future fight between Hill and Alex Pereira. As a close friend and sparring partner of Teixeira, Pereira was caught on camera watching Hill intently during the announcement of the winner of the match.
In an interview with Middleeasy, Hill was candid about his desire for a showdown with Pereira.Pereira was eyeing Hill 👀 #UFC283
(h/t u/logicwrestling/Reddit) pic.twitter.com/6Okn2PEgC7 — ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 22, 2023
"They tell me he (Alex Pereira) might come up [to light heavyweight]," Hill stated. "Come on in my boy. Whenever he decides. Oh yeah, I can go up there and fck him up. Come on in my boy, all that smoke. I was there [at UFC 281] – I watched [the fight] live.
All respect to Izzy (Israel Adesanya), but I’ll knock Pereira the fck out." It didn't take long for Hill's comments to reach Pereira himself, who promptly called Hill out on Instagram. In a comment on a joke video posted by Hill, Pereira wrote, "I heard Prochazka is injured.
"What about knocking me out?"
Revenge for a Mentor
Glover has retired after a loss to Hill. After the fight he said: “In reality, I think I’m too tough for my own good. Too tough for my own health. I can’t keep up anymore.
I’m gonna focus my energy on Alex Pereria, on ‘Po-Atan’. He’s gonna keep his [middleweight] belt for a while and then go up to light heavyweight”. It is logical for Pereira to first defend his middleweight title against Whittaker and Adesanya, and Hill is aware that he would also have to defend his newly won title in that period.
However, if Pereira decides to move up in weight, Hill has expressed no reservations about a matchup. The potential showdown between Hill and Pereira is one that would undoubtedly captivate MMA fans, as Pereira would be seeking to avenge his mentor and friend, and potentially cement his status as a champion in two different weight categories.
Don't be surprised if the UFC contracts this match soon, as the narrative around this potential fight is one that is sure to draw significant interest.