- Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill fight for the Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 300.
- Current titleholder Pereira is favored against Hill, a former champ.
- Pereira’s odds to win have improved since the betting markets for the fight opened on February 17, 2024.
Following an anticipated wait, UFC President Dana White announced that the Light Heavyweight Championship will be on the line in the main event at UFC 300. Champion Alex Pereira (9-2-0) will defend his title versus Jamahal Hill (12-1-1) on April 13, 2024. According to BetOnline, Pereira is favored to beat Hill in the main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Upon the announcement from White, Pereira opened as a -145 betting favorite. Since Sunday, Pereira’s odds have risen slightly to -155. Currently, Pereira has an implied probability of 60.8 percent to defeat Hill at UFC 300.
Pereira claimed the title at UFC 295 last November, with an impressive win via KO over Jiri Prochazka. The 36-year-old Brazilian ended the fight in the second round with a vicious left hook. Pereira’s knockout power has been well-documented. In Pereira’s UFC career, he has won five of his seven fights by KO/TKO.
To his credit, Hill has knockout power that can end a fight with one punch as well. Five of Hill’s previous six bouts have ended in a KO/TKO. Since losing to Paul Craig and suffering a gruesome arm injury in 2021, Hill has won four straight matches. In his latest effort, Hill defeated Glover Teixeira via unanimous decision at UFC 283 on Jan. 21, 2023.
Hill “Fully Healed” From Achilles Tendon Rupture
If you believe Hill, then he is fully healed from the Achilles tendon injury he suffered playing basketball in the summer of 2023. Hill was forced to relinquish the light heavyweight title he won against Teixeira in a memorable duel at UFC 283.
With less than a year to rehab from the injury, many fans are questioning whether Hill will be at 100 percent for UFC 300. Nevertheless, Hill claimed on his YouTube channel that he is fully healthy and prepared for his next fight.
Another one of the big questions around it has been my health,” Hill said. “‘Oh, he’s rushing back’, and things like that. No, I’m not rushing back. I’ve been training, I’ve been sparring, I’ve been at a full go now for a few weeks now. There’s been no setbacks. Nothing hindering anything. When I’m saying full go, I mean this is me doing everything full speed, full on like I would normally when I normally train. So, there’s no concerns. My Achilles is not an issue. It’s not a problem at all.”
A healthy Hill is a dangerous fighter who has the talent to take the belt back after having to concede it due to the injury. However, until Hill steps into the Octagon versus a dangerous Pereira, we won’t know how the surgically repaired Achilles has an impact on his performance.
Hill’s Achilles surgery was performed by the same orthopedic surgeon who operated on Kobe Bryant’s torn Achilles. Regardless, Hill went down in July and UFC 300 is scheduled for April. Less than a year to fully recoup from an Achilles injury has some bettors nervous about Hill’s health.
Fan Criticism Over UFC 300 Main Event Announcement
Responses to White’s late-Saturday announcement came in fast and furious. Although many fans were excited about Hill vs. Pereira in the main event, other fans wanted something more out of the UFC 300 main event.
The main event at UFC 100 was Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir for the Heavyweight Championship. At UFC 200, Amanda Nunes and Miesha Tate were headliners. Lesnar, Daniel Cormier, Anderson Silva, and Jose Aldo were also on the card.
With that in mind, some fans expected a little more star power out of the main event. On his YouTube channel, Hill responded to the backlash over the main event at UFC 300.
I seen one comment it said, ‘I was expecting Conor vs. Jesus himself’”, Hill said. “At this point, I’m convinced that wouldn’t have been enough. Like y’all could have got Mario vs. King Kong, y’all could have got Wolverine vs. Iron Man. You could have gotten anything. Hulk vs. Superman, Spiderman vs. Batman, you could have got any of this, and you wouldn’t have been happy.”
Despite some fans being disappointed, Hill vs. Pereira should prove to be an entertaining fight between two fighters who will both be looking for a knockout. Early betting action seems to suggest that the public believes that Hill is set to be on the receiving end of a Pereira KO.
