'Patan' may no longer be UFC -light heavyweight king, but that does not mean that we have finished celebrating the best moments of his truly sensational championship.
After moving from the middleweight, Alex Pereira claimed the UFC Light Heavyweight Title in November 2023 with an incredible second round knockout from Jiri Procazka.
The Brazilian superstar was then called upon to save 'UFC 300' with a short-notice title defense against former champion Jamahal 'Sweet Dreams' Hill-a title competition that ended in cold, cold, controversy.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty images
Alex Pereira 'Coldest' Post-Ko party must be made in a statue
On the way to UFC 300: Pereira vs Hill, there was a serious hostility between the two light heavyweight stars; With both athletes predicting that they would score a viral finish in Las Vegas.
Round was opened with Pereira that landed several hard low stairs, to which Hill answered with a swinging right hand that caught the top of the Brazilian's head.
With two minutes to go, Hill threw a kick that landed just below the Beltline; Despite referee Herb Decan who tried to stop the match, Pereira waved the civil servant away before he shattered his patented left hook.
Less than 10 seconds later, the fight was over – with Pereira who was then over his rival and the published by the 'coldest celebration' in the UFC title history.
During the press conference after the fight, Pereira explained why he now hit his iconic festive posture: “He threw the shot of the groin, but it didn't really hurt too much, so I chose to keep pushing, so I didn't have to reset the distance [and] Capital letters at the moment.
“I spoke with my team earlier that I wanted to fight five rounds, but if the knockout happened, that's what I was going to do … He did not behave so well.
“He started with respect during the week and then he did what he did during the press conference and the weightings, frankly that I could do, was exactly for him.”
A few days later, Hill shared a reaction video on UFC 300 via his YouTube channel in which he admitted that the controversial finish simply amounted to that age-old saying of 'protest yourself at all times'.
“To be honest, my feelings on it do not matter … I just take it as a learned lesson and just grow from there, understand that it” protects yourself at all times, “pay attention and stay focused at all times – even by orders and Gamesmanship.”
While the wider MMA fan base celebrated both the knockout and the celebration, there were several remarkable names that claimed that referee Herb Dean 'made a mistake' in the game.
FEUD ruled later that same year at the UFC Performance Institute
By December 2024 'Sweet Dreams' and 'Patan' had re -ruled their feud on social media – although the tensions almost cooked when they met at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas.
Words were initially exchanged and then Pereira threw a few boxing gloves at Hill's feet – challenging him for an immediate sparring session – training partners happily intervened before it became physical.
Hill launched a vicious verbal attack on Pereira in the aftermath of their UFC Pi confrontation, in which he claimed that the Brazilian wanted to put him in trouble with the promotion and did not intend to scrap.
Not many fans or hunters bought that explanation, with one of the former kickboxing rivals of Alex Pereira to scold Hill for what he considered a 'dangerous movement' that 'disastrous consequences had.
Hill then lost his next fight, a third round KO to Jiri Procazka.
Pereira retained his title with back-to-back victories on Procazka and Khalil Rountree JR, but would lose the light heavyweight throne to Magomed Ankalaev earlier this month on UFC 313.
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