Jamahal Hill says he and referee Herb Dean could have done things “differently” at UFC 300.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion's return to the Octagon was interrupted by a meeting with current champion Alex Pereira. It was a long time coming for Hill, who hadn't fought since winning the title from Glover Teixeira at UFC 283.
RELATED: UFC 300: Jamahal Hill rejects idea of 'tune-up fight', fight against Alex Pereira becomes a reality
Hill did not cede the title to anyone, but chose to relinquish the championship after suffering an injury. Hill improved and was given an immediate title shot in the UFC 300 headliner, but ultimately fell to Pereira's power punches within minutes.
While there is no debate about the TKO being called off, there is debate as to why the fight was not called off even though Hill delivered a clearly low blow to Pereira. Referee Herb Dean tried to pause the fight, but the champion called it off and knocked Hill down on the first shot he threw.
In the aftermath of UFC 300, Hill is reflecting on the series of events that cost him the fight and how he could have avoided it all.
“It's always about protecting yourself, but also immediately after being told, 'Always follow my orders,'” Hill said. Schmo. “In that moment, every time it happened, I stopped, [Dean] I told him to stop before he could say anything. I stopped. And I see that Alex continues to grow closer to me. I understand it was a cold moment, he took a bad blow… He pushed it away and he came, it wasn't a blow to his groin.
“And while I was trying to make sure he was okay, he was coming at me with angles and doing things like that… It was a gritty, competitive move. I Should have peeked at it and caught it and defended himself. But, if Herb Dean could have done something, I wish he would have done a cleaner and better reset, which I wish I had looked at differently. That would have been one of those things.”
Like Hill, who was affected, former two-division champion Daniel Cormier also weighed in on the controversy, saying a “fresh restart” should have taken place after Hill punted to Pereira.
“After watching it with (Hill), I had a slightly different perspective,” Cormier said in an interview. YouTube channel. “He talked about foot placement, range and everything else as a southpaw fighting a traditional fighter. I run it with my cousins and nephews, and my nephews have the same idea. They all think Herb Dean made a mistake. Herb steps in, Alex reaches out, and Herb backs away…
“When there's an illegal strike, they say they should have been apart, but then they come together again for a fresh start. That never happened. I landed the shot that knocked Jamahal out a few seconds later.
That was one way Herb Dean could have handled the exchange between the light heavyweights. As for Hill, there is “no excuse” for his loss at UFC 300, but he finds it interesting that “the referee would give control of the Octagon to his opponent like that.”
“Honestly, it makes you think a little bit before you go straight to the referee's orders like that or disobey the referee's instructions,” Hill added. “I'm not trying to make excuses, but if there's one thing I would have done differently looking back at the game, it would have been to ignore the continuity of the coaching.” About fighting methods and angles.
“Because the only timing, angle, and even step that I took was that moment where I was expecting a little bit of a break. It wasn't exactly in my line of sight when I let it out.'' I heard the go again signal, but if you hear it on the video it was a little late, I wanted to stay away from Herb Dean. You must recognize the situation quickly and protect yourself properly. ”
Jamahal Hill is wasting no time after his knockout loss. “Sweet Dreams” has already booked a comeback fight against Khalil Rountree Jr. in the co-main event of UFC 303. Hill hopes a win there would put him back in title contention and lead to a rematch with Alex Pereira.
“Honestly, for me right now, it's not even the gold strap. It's about getting back to that fight. I want to fight Alex again because of the story and all the reasons surrounding it. I know, I understand.'' I wonder what it will be like when I step foot there again. So that's the match I really want. '' Hill said.
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