Alex Pereira thinks Jiri Prochazka is a better striker than Jamahal Hill.
Light heavyweight champion Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) makes his first title defense against ex-champ Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 300 headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Pereira knocked out Prochazka to claim the vacant belt this past November at UFC 295. When asked to compare Prochazka and Hill’s striking, “Poatan” gave Prochazka the edge.
“I think Jiri is more accurate and precise with his strikes, the way that he flows, the way that he fights,” Pereira told CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri through an interpreter. “Jamahal Hill has a little more advantage on his power, which makes him dangerous, too, because nobody wants to take a hit and go down in a fight. But when you talk about skill level, Jiri Prochazka is superior.”
Four of Hill’s past five wins have come by knockout. His lone decision victory in that stretch came in a beatdown of Pereira’s mentor Glover Teixeira to claim the vacant title at UFC 283, which he later relinquished after tearing his achilles tendon.
Prochazka, who meets Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 300, is eager to run things back with Pereira. In a recent interview with Sportskeeda, Prochazka said he sees more weapons on Hill’s side than Pereira’s.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.
