The world of UFC light heavyweights is heating up, and not just inside the octagon. The division has always been a pressure cooker of intense personalities and fierce rivalries. Lately, former champion Jamahal Hill has been making waves with some choice words for the #2 ranked Magomed Ankalaev.
Hill recently unleashed a verbal tirade against Ankalaev during an Inside Fighting interview. Hill, typically calm and collected, didn’t hold back, expressing his strong dislike for the Russian fighter’s attitude and behavior. According to Hill, Ankalaev’s attempts to gain attention by taking shots at him haven’t gone unnoticed.
”I want to knock out Magomed just because to me, he’s a b*tch, and he f***ing talks like a b*tch and he acts like a b*tch. So I don’t really f*** with him much, at all, so f*** him and yeah I’d love nothing more to put this b*tch a*s to sleep.”
What makes this beef particularly interesting is that these two haven’t even faced each other in the octagon yet. Hill claims Ankalaev has been trying to ride his popularity wave, calling him “the cheesiest one” who does it.
The timing of this callout is fascinating. Hill is coming off a tough loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 300 and is already scheduled to face Jiri Prochazka at UFC 311. Meanwhile, Ankalaev has been steadily climbing the ranks, recently defeating Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308. The Russian fighter might even be next in line for a title shot against current champion Pereira.
Jamahal Hill Sides With Magomed Ankalaev To Defeat Alex Pereira
While most fighters typically trash-talk their rivals, fans are seeing an unexpected twist. Former champion Hill, who recently lost to Alex Pereira, is now backing his own verbal sparring partner Ankalaev to dethrone the champion.
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Despite having some choice words for Magomed Ankalaev in recent interviews, Hill put aside his personal feelings to break down a potential title fight. He pointed out that Ankalaev’s counter-fighting style could be the perfect antidote to Pereira’s aggressive approach.
“I give Ankalaev a big chance at winning it [a Pereira fight], just because of the way he fights, the style in which he fights. If you notice, Ankalaev is a counter fighter. He, just the things that he pops out at you at first are just to get to draw things out of [you], right?” said Hill in the same interview with Inside Fighting.
Jamahal Hill knows what he’s talking about, having faced Pereira himself at UFC 300. There’s nothing quite like firsthand experience to give you insights into a fighter’s strengths and weaknesses. He especially emphasized how Ankalaev’s southpaw stance could create puzzles for Pereira to solve.
Also Read: Jamahal Hill Makes Funny “The Office” Reference After Jiri Prochazka’s Comments About UFC 311
