UFC 300 is fast approaching. The historic card takes place on Saturday, April 13, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The card features a who’s who of current and former UFC champions, as well as many fighters who have etched their names in the UFC record book over the years. The headlining bout on the card sees current UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira putting his title on the line against Jamahal Hill, the former champion who did not lose his title inside the Octagon. Hill is the No. 1 fighter in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.
The co-main event of UFC 300 is another title fight, as women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili puts her belt on the line against No. 1 ranked 115-pounder Yan Xiaonan. Before that fight, BMF champion Justin Gaethje faces ex-UFC featherweight titleholder Max Holloway in a lightweight scrap.
UFC 300 takes place on April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Below, we take a deep dive into the Pereira vs. Hill light heavyweight title fight.
Alex Pereira
Alex Pereira (9-2) has packed a lot into 11 professional MMA fights. The 36-year-old came to MMA full-time in 2021 after a long and successful kickboxing career that saw him hold the middleweight and light heavyweight Glory Kickboxing titles.
Pereira was 3-1 in MMA when he decided to focus all his energy on that sport. He signed with the UFC not long after his final fight with Glory, and the Brazilian competitor made his UFC debut in November 2021, scoring a TKO win over Andreas Michailidis that earned him a “Performance of the Night” bonus. That bout was Pereira’s first, and to date, last appearance on a UFC prelim card.
Wins over Bruno Silva (decision) and Sean Strickland (first-round KO) followed that victory and put Pereira in a middleweight title fight against then-UFC champion Israel Adesanya, a man Pereira had defeated twice under the Glory Kickboxing banner.
Pereira moved his combat sports record against Adesanya to 3-0 at UFC 281 when he scored a fifth-round TKO over Adesanya in that November 2022 contest. However, Pereira’s time with the UFC middleweight crown was short-lived, as Adesanya got the title back with a second-round knockout in their rematch in April 2023.
After his loss to Adesanya, Pereira moved up to 205 pounds. His first UFC light heavyweight scrap was against former UFC champion Jam Blachowicz, which he won by unanimous decision. He then faced Jiri Prochazka for the vacant 205-pound title in the headlining bout of UFC 295, which took place at Madison Square Garden in November 2023. Pereira became a two-division champion that night, scoring a second-round TKO win over the former UFC light heavyweight champion.
Pereira has seven knockout wins and two decision victories. His two MMA losses have been by stoppage, dropping his 2023 bout to Adesanya by knockout, and falling by submission in his first pro MMA bout, which took place in 2015 under the Jungle Fight banner.
Jamahal Hill
Jamahal Hill (12-1-0-1) had a 5-0 record when he appeared on a Dana White Contender Series card in July 2019. He won that fight against Alexander Poppeck by TKO in the third round. The victory earned him a UFC contract.
Hill made his official UFC debut in January 2020, winning a decision over Darko Stosic on the main card of an ESPN+ event at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. He then faced Klidson Abreu in May 2020. He initially won that bout by first-round TKO, but the result was later overturned to a no-contest because Hill tested positive for marijuana
He followed that fight with a December 2020 TKO over former interim light heavyweight title challenger Ovince Saint Preux.
Hill’s unbeaten streak ended in his next trip to the Octagon, when Paul Craig ended their June 2021 fight in under two minutes by TKO.
Hill bounced back from that loss by rattling off three straight “Performance of the Night” bonus-winning knockouts. That run earned him a shot at then-champion Glover Teixeira. Hill put on a striking clinic in that fight, battering Teixeira over five rounds to earn a one-sided decision win and the UFC 205-pound crown. That fight headlined UFC 283 in January 2023.
Misfortune ended Hill’s title reign. In July 2023, he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during a UFC fighter basketball game. He relinquished the title and underwent surgery to repair the injury. Hill has not competed since his win over Teixeira.
Hill has seven wins by knockout and five decision victories. His sole loss is his TKO setback to Craig.
UFC 300 betting odds: Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill
Alex Pereira is the current betting favorite ahead of the UFC 300 main event. The champ is listed at -130. Meanwhile, the former champion, Jamahal Hill, is a +110 betting underdog.
Significant Stats
Pereira averages 5.00 significant strikes landed per minute with an accuracy of 60 percent. He absorbs 3.65 significant strikes per minute with a defense rate of 50 percent.
Hill averages 7.31 significant strikes per minute and lands with 54 percent accuracy. He absorbs 3.35 significant strikes per minute and has a defensive rate of 47 percent.
