Jamahal Hill recently opened up about why he was yawning after Alex Pereira's victory over Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307. 'Poatan' secured his third successful UFC light heavyweight title defense with a dominant fourth-round TKO victory over Rountree Jr. last weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Hill escalated his feud with Pereira when he was caught on camera dismissively yawning while standing cage side at the Delta Center. Given the intense nature of the action-packed fight, many fans were quick to criticize his reaction.
'Sweet Dreams' clarified in a video on his YouTube channel that his reaction was misinterpreted. While he found the fight engaging, Hill expressed that he wasn’t particularly captivated by Pereira’s performance:
"It’s hilarious how y’all see a clip with no context, no nothing, and y’all just be ready to talk s**t and attack, coming disrespectful as ever. The yawn at the end—was it entertaining? Yes. Was I impressed? No. I wasn't impressed."
Hill added:
"I'm glad Alex won because I want him to be as big of a giant in your minds as possible for the next time I face him. At this point, I don't care if he goes on to fight Magomed [Ankalaev] next. If he fights him, he could lose, but that's the fight I want. I don't want the belt—I want that fight."
Check out Jamahal Hill's comments below:
Check out the full video below:
Hill was initially set to square off against Rountree Jr. at UFC 303 in June, but 'The War Horse' was removed from the card after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Carlos Ulberg stepped in as a last-minute replacement, but Hill ultimately had to withdraw due to a string of injuries.
Jamahal Hill responds to Alex Pereira's critique of his yawning after UFC 307 victory
Alex Pereira, who secured a first-round knockout victory over Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in April, was questioned about 'Sweet Dreams' yawning reaction during the post-fight press conference for UFC 307.
'Poatan' didn’t hold back as he took a shot at Hill for being bitter about his win:
"Maybe he just woke up from UFC 300."
Check out Alex Pereira's comment below:
Hill chimed in the comments section of MMA Junkie's Instagram post and wrote:
"You said that!!! But you will see me soon, and we will see you when you wake up!!!"
Check out Jamahal Hill's comment below: