Alex Pereira enters UFC 300 as one of the most credentialed strikers to ever compete in MMA, thanks to winning titles across two divisions while competing in GLORY Kickboxing.
In his next fight, Pereira defends his 205-pound belt against Jamahal Hill, who has one more fight in the UFC but the exact same number of knockouts as the reigning light heavyweight champion with four. Despite similar statistic, Pereira maintains his status as the favorite in the fight with many believing his striking ability will get him past another former UFC champion but Matt Brown isn’t so sure that’s the case.
“People way overhype how technical Alex Pereira is,” Brown said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “He’s a gigantic human being. He is a big 205er. You ever go stand next to the son of a b****, he is huge. He’s bigger than most 205ers that I know. That goes a long way, and he has enough technique and techniques that work for him.
“I actually watched part of striking instructional on Dynamic Striking, and I was like this stuff is ridiculous. He looks terrible doing this. There’s no breakdown. It’s just like no, hit like this, kick like this. Like dude, you do that, not us! The point is, he’s rough around the edges, but it works great for him.”
Pereira built an incredible resume in kickboxing with numerous high-profile wins, including two over future UFC champion and rival Israel Adesanya, and the Brazilian has found a way to transition that style to the UFC. In just seven fights with the promotion, he became a two-division champion and he holds wins over four opponents who have held UFC titles in the past.
A lifelong striking enthusiast and the UFC veteran with the most knockouts in welterweight history, Brown acknowledges Pereira is a vicious knockout artist. He’s not sold that the Brazilian is actually as technically proficient on the feet as many might believe.
Brown points out there are plenty of examples of high-level strikers who weren’t known for being technical in their fights. He looks specifically at a couple of famed boxers who made a career for themselves as exciting, championship level fighters that weren’t technicians on the feet.
Perhaps the same could be said for Pereira, who delivers massive power behind every punch and kick. The one time that backfired, however, is when he zigged when he should have zagged against Adesanya in their UFC rematch; “The Last Stylebender” dropped him with a devastating knockout punch.
Brown feels like Hill has that same kind of ability, even if he doesn’t get the same kind of credit as Pereira for striking prowess.
“I think someone like Jamahal Hill can go exploit that,” Brown said. “Because he’s a little rough around the edges, too. These guys aren’t technical strikers. That doesn’t mean they’re not great strikers. There’s untechnical guys like Felix Trinidad or Ricardo Mayorga, guys that get to a very, very high level and win championship belts without technical striking. They just don’t reach Floyd Mayweather status, things like that.
“But that plays well into Jamahal’s game. Alex isn’t going up against an undersized guy. I think that’s going to play pretty well into Jamahal’s hand.”
Hill may not have the accolades that Pereira does in kickboxing, but Brown sees a lot of subtleties in his game that don’t often get mentioned. Combine those skills with jaw-dropping power, Brown said, and Hill could potentially flatline Pereira.
“It’s kind of interesting the way Jamahal Hill is – we don’t respect the intricacies of his style,” Brown said. “Because he’s so athletic, and he has so much power. We see these things that are obvious and clear, but a lot of the finer things kind of get missed. I think it’s actually a tough matchup for Pereira.”
With Hill coming back from a torn Achilles’ tendon suffered this past July, he has a lot riding on his return. He had to surrender his light heavyweight title knowing the injury would keep him out several months, and he’s set to return for a chance to reclaim the belt he never lost.
Brown believes it all adds up to a huge opportunity for Hill to take back his throne on arguably one of the biggest cards in UFC history.
“I think Jamahal Hill, by far, has the most to win here, especially on UFC 300, main f****** event,” Brown said. “People are kind of hating on the main event, saying it wasn’t worthy of the UFC 300. He’s got a lot to prove on that. Talking about Alex’s stardom, and he seems like the invincible guy out there right now. You can’t stress how much Jamahal Hill has to win in this fight.”
