Daniel Cormier could feel the tension between UFC champs Jamahal Hill and Alex Pereira in the aftermath of UFC 283.
Cormier, who was the commentator and in-cage interviewer at this past weekend’s event in Rio de Janeiro, got an up-close look at the dominant performance Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) turned in over Glover Teixeira to win the vacant light heavyweight title in the main event.
Hill smashed Teixeira over five rounds to claim a unanimous decision, all while UFC middleweight champ Pereira (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) was in the corner with his mentor. It only took a few days after the fight for Pereira to call for a showdown with Hill, and there appears to be mutual interest.
The possibility of the champ-vs-champ matchup doesn’t surprise Cormier, he said, given the interaction he felt between Pereira and Hill at UFC 283.
Alex Pereira has the frame of a 205-pounder – a big 205-pounder – but first, and before he can do any of that Jamahal Hill revenge, he’s got to deal with his weight class,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. He’s got to deal with middleweight. But bro, standing in that octagon with him the other day, after Glover Teixeira was in there retiring, the way he was glaring at the champion was crazy. He was piercing through Jamahal Hill standing there, just stoic. Big old dude.”
Cormier, a former two-division UFC champion in his own right, thinks Pereira and Hill – who have yet to log a single title defense in their respect reigns – need to focus on divisional contenders at the moment. However, he doesn’t rule out the possibility of seeing them come together down the line, because it would be a must-see showdown.
It’s crazy because Pereira’s got options. He’s got so many prospects for championships. This is a guy that many thought was a weak champ. That’s why Khamzat Chimaev was saying right away, ‘I want to fight him at 185.’ But now he’s got Jamahal Hill speaking his name at 205, he’s got Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker on the docket at 185. He’s got options. And I don’t think I would tune out for any of them. Every guy that this man speaks out, I would tune in to watch him. Right now must be a great time to be Alex Pereira. …
“But did you see how he looked at Jamahal Hill? Those eyes would strike fear in most. One guy that’s no afraid though is Hill. That would be an unbelievable fight.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 283.
