Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson couldn’t help but laugh when Jamahal Hill told him his gameplan was to strike with Alex Pereira in their UFC 300 main event title clash.
“You look at him…each time I see somebody try to fight a kickboxer in a kickboxer realm, they tend to get their ass knocked out,” Johnson said, referring to Pereira’s elite striking pedigree from kickboxing and glory rules competitions.
Johnson, one of the most cerebral strategists in MMA history, saw the flaws in Hill’s approach immediately. “From my perspective, what you’re saying is that you’re going there intelligently,” Johnson stated on his podcast. “You’re going to put him where he’s the weakest at and basically make it look real easy.”
Of course, Johnson was prophetic in his assessment. In the UFC 300 main event, Hill did indeed try to strike with the powerhouse Pereira. It did not go well.
Despite a fairly even first few minutes with both men working behind jabs and leg kicks, Pereira capitalized on a Hill mistake midway through the opening round. After absorbing a low kick, Pereira fired back with a blistering left hand that sent Hill crashing to the canvas. A few follow-up hammer fists rendered Hill unconscious, giving Pereira the knockout defense of his light heavyweight title.
While an exciting matchup on paper between two elite strikers, the outcome showed the vast difference in skillsets and experience between Hill and Pereira in the realm of pure striking. Just as the wise Johnson had foreseen, Hill paid dearly for trying to beat the kickboxing king at his own game.