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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Israel Adesanya knows a thing or two about Alex Pereira fights ending with dramatic finishes.

“The Last Stylebender” has fought Pereira numerous times over the course of their storied combat sports careers, twice in kickboxing and twice in MMA. At the moment, Adesanya owns bragging rights in their series having knocked Pereira out in their most recent duel at UFC 287, but even he looked overwhelmed by Pereira’s latest feat.

After capturing the light heavyweight title this past November at UFC 300, “Poatan” booked his first title defense against former champion Jamahal Hill and the Brazilian KO artist didn’t disappoint. Three minutes into Saturday’s main event, Pereira crushed Hill with a left hand to retain his title.

Cameras caught Adesanya’s stunned reaction, which you can watch below.

Adesanya barely moved as the arena crowd buzzed around him, only flinching after a few seconds and uttering an inaudible one-word response.

The two-time middleweight champion wasn’t the only fighter left staring in disbelief. Social media was ablaze with reactions, including light heavyweight GOAT Jon Jones simply writing, “my goodness,” and Daniel Cormier calling Pereira’s performance “unbelievable.”

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Jon Jones was left stunned by Alex Pereira’s viral first-round finish of Jamahal Hill.

Stepping into the spotlight at the promotion’s landmark UFC 300 card in Las Vegas, ‘Poatan’ put his light heavyweight title on the line for the first time against a former champion hellbent on reclaiming the crown he’d never lost. Jamahal Hill talked a big game going into their massive 205-pound headliner, but it took Pereira a little over three minutes to let his fists do all the talking for him.

Waving off referee Herb Dean seconds after absorbing a low blow, Pereira blasted Hill with a nasty left uppercut that instantly put ‘Sweet Dreams’ to sleep. Hill came to long enough to see a flurry of fists flying his way until Dean stepped in, bringing a stop to the bout in the opening round.

Reactions to the insane knockout flooded social media with some of MMA’s biggest stars joining in — including reigning undisputed UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who shared his two-work take on the epic finish.

“My goodness,” Jones wrote on X.

is Jon jones vs. Alex pereira possible?

Immediately following the contest, Alex Pereira called for a quick turnaround, requesting to challenge interim heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall at UFC 301 on May 4.

“I want to keep continuing to defend this belt,” Pereira said. “I talked a lot about fighting in Brazil if I won this fight. I won this fight. I’m not hurt. Nothing happened. I know there needs to be a lot of promotion behind a fight, but I want to have a fight at heavyweight.”

It’s unlikely that Pereira vs. Aspinall will happen — at least on such short notice — but if Pereira likes the idea of a move to heavyweight more than defending his 205-pound title against the next man in line, who are we to argue? Especially when the next man up for ‘Poatan’ is most likely Russian standout Magomed Ankalaev.

Who knows… If the UFC grants Pereria his wish, perhaps we could one day see ‘Poatan’ square off with Jon Jones, though that’s probably just wishful thinking.

LowKickMMA.com

Following tonight’s historic UFC 300 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the big winners will answer questions from the media during the post-fight press conference.  

The event was headlined by two world title bouts. The middleweight title was on the line in the fight card’s main event between champion Alex Pereira and former titleholder Jamahal Hill.

In the co-main event, women’s flyweight champion Zhang Weili put her title on the line against Yan Xiaonan. Also on the fight card, lightweight contender Justin Gaethje put the symbolic “BMF” belt up against former featherweight champion Max Holloway.

 UFC 300 Post-Fight Press Conference 

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

The legend of Alex Pereira continued to grow with his latest win to cap off the historic UFC 300 card on Saturday night.

Following an action-packed night of fight, the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion delivered an emphatic exclamation point on the evening with a stunning first-round knockout to finish Jamahal Hill to defend his belt.

The end came after Pereira actually waved off referee Dean following a low blow and then just seconds later he blasted Hill with a monstrous left hook. Hill’s eyes rolled back in his head as he crashed to the canvas with Pereira quickly following him to the ground.

Pereira unloaded a few more shots as Hill went limp and Dean rushed in to halt the contest with the official stoppage coming at 3:14 in the opening round.

“You guys can see what I was doing in there,” Pereira said following the winl. “I told everyone the whole time, he’s a strong guy. I cannot go away from my strategy. That’s exactly what I was doing. Everything went perfectly.”

It was effectively a flawless performance as Pereira didn’t really take any damage whatsoever in the fight outside of a couple inside leg kicks from Hill during the early exchanges. The light heavyweights showed a lot of respect for each other, both realizing that a single mistakes could easily end the fight.

That’s exactly how it played out because Pereira just kept measuring the distance with a series of leg kicks but never overextending with his strikes. It wasn’t until the low blow reverberated off his cup that saw Pereira reset momentarily before stepping back into another exchange with Hill.

Pereira stepped forward and unleashed the left hook that sent Hill down to the canvas in a dramatic fall. The follow up punches just ensured there was no question about the finish as Pereira put Hill down once and for all.

Afterwards, the fighters embraced and shared a few words despite some bad blood between them during the days leading up to the event. As far as the performance goes, Pereira admitted that he approaches every fight the same exact way and those are the results he wanted.

“To be honest when I step into the octagon, I don’t see myself as the champion,” Pereira said. “I do the same thing outside of it in my personal life. I don’t let this belt go to my head. I have to come in here and I have to win this belt every time to become the champion. I don’t let it go to my head ever.”

As far as what comes next, Pereira talked often leading up to UFC 300 that he wanted to actually make a quick turnaround and compete at UFC 301 in Brazil in May. That seems rather unlikely, although Pereira did throw out an interesting idea in closing that may at least get the UFC’s attention.

“I want to continue defending this belt,” Pereira said. “I talked a lot about fighting in Brazil if I won this fight. I won this fight, I’m not hurt, nothing happened. I want to have a fight at heavyweight.”

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

UFC 300 is an event like no other. and tonight’s card is sure to have the whole entertainment world buzzing.

From Donald Trump to Drake to Halle Berry to Shaq, the UFC has had a long history of celebrity fans cheering from the stands, and the stars are sure to be out for Saturday’s historic pay-per-view event. Add in the shenanigans of the fighters themselves plus whatever special events the promotion has officially set on the schedule, and keeping track of it all can make even the most devoted fight fan’s head spin.

That’s why MMA Fighting is tracking all of the special events, celebrity sightings, and odds and ends of fight night, which you can follow below.

10:45 p.m. ET: Arman Tsarukyan gets into it with the fans

Arman Tsarukyan nearly had a fight before his fight.

On the way down to the cage for his bout against Charles Oliveira, Tsarukyan was briefly caught on camera scuffling with some fans.

Fortunately, security was there to pull Tsarukyan away and defuse the situation before there was any chance that the highly anticipated lightweight fight was in jeopardy.

11:20 p.m. ET: Chael Sonnen, UFC Hall of Famer

Chael Sonnen is a UFC Hall of Fame inductee at last. With a little help, of course.

During Saturday’s pay-per-view broadcast, it was announced that Sonnen’s epic encounter with Anderson Silva at UFC 117 will be inducted into the Fight Wing of the promotion’s Hall of Fame.

Watch video of the announcement below.

Silva was on a 12-fight win streak when he ran into Sonnen in August 2010 and was already regarded as one of the best fighters to ever compete in MMA. But on that night, Sonnen dominated Silva with his grappling for the majority of the five-round contest. It was only a Hail Mary triangle choke from Silva that saved his title reign, forcing Sonnen to tap out with less than two minutes remaining in the final round.

The fight has widely been regarded as one of the most exciting in UFC history, with Silva’s legacy elevated further by the win and Sonnen entrenching himself as a must-see attraction for years to come.

This marks Silva’s second entry into the UFC Hall of Fame after being inducted into its Pioneer Wing in 2023.

11:15 p.m. ET: Islam Makhachev calls his shot

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev appears to have named his next challenger.

Following Arman Tsarukyan’s dramatic split decision win over Charles Oliveira, Tsarukyan called for matchup with Makhachev and the champ appeared to oblige via a comment on social media:

“Be ready,” Makhachev wrote. “See you soon boy.”

Should Tsarukyan get the title shot, it would be a rematch of his clash with Makhachev in April 2019. Makhachev defeated Tsarukyan by split decision, but both fighters have seen their careers surge since that bout and it could only be a matter of time before they face off again.

11:07 p.m. ET: Bruce Buffer brings the style

Legendary UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer is known for dressing to the nines on special occasions and he didn’t disappoint at UFC 300.

Buffer flashed the inside of his jacket, showing that he has UFC light heavyweight champion and Saturday night headliner Alex Pereira on the inside lining.

That’s one collector’s item plenty of fans would love to get their hands on.

10:42 p.m. ET: A heartfelt homecoming for The Hammer

This past March, Mark Coleman was hospitalized after saving his parents from a house fire.

Tonight, the UFC Hall of Famer was welcomed home.

Prior to the main card bout between Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan, “The Hammer” was given the spotlight on the pay-per-view broadcast as he entered the arena accompanied by his daughters McKenzie and Morgan.

Coleman is expected to place the belt around the waist of winner of the “BMF” championship bout between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway.

10:38 p.m. ET: Iron Mike, The Ice Man, and Bullet in attendance

Three of the most dangerous fighters of all time are in the crowd for UFC 300.

During Saturday’s pay-per-view broadcast, heavyweight boxing legend Mike Tyson, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell, and former UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko were all shown on camera.

There’s been a cavalcade of talent inside the octagon tonight, but it might just be dwarfed by the star power outside of it.

10:14 p.m. ET: Mark Zuckerberg in awe of Alex Pereira

Mark Zuckerberg is one of the richest people in the world. And he still went full fan boy when he met UFC champion Alex Pereira.

Pereira meets Jamahal Hill in the UFC 300 main event and you can be sure that Zuckerberg will be cageside cheering “Poatan” on.

10:07 p.m. ET: The champ is here

Aljamain Sterling and Deiveson Figueiredo may have picked up the best bantamweight wins of the night, but 135-pound champion Sean O’Malley might have still stolen the show.

“Suga” arrived at the arena in style, rocking a feathery pink coat, flashy jewelry, and a pair of reflective shades.

Suffice to say, it’s a look only O’Malley could pull off.

9:45 p.m. ET: The stars are out for Kayla Harrison

Kayla Harrison didn’t just catch the attention of the matchmakers with her incredible UFC debut, she also had the celebrities rushing to congratulate her backstage.

Comedian Theo Von and actor Miles Teller praised Harrison for her performance following the former PFL star’s fantastic submission win over former bantamweight champion Holly Holm on Saturday night.

With the victory, Harrison could be poised to challenge for the 135-pound title later this year.

9:35 p.m. ET: Israel Adesanya has his eyes on Dricus du Plessis

Rivals Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis could be facing off in the octagon soon. For now, they’ll have settle on being in the same venue.

The middleweight stars were shown on-screen at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday and Adesanya took the opportunity to let du Plessis know that he has him in his sights, metaphorically speaking.

See the interaction below.

Du Plessis won the middleweight title by defeating Sean Strickland—the man who took the belt from Adesanya—this past January at UFC 297. Since then, the two rivals have taken shots at each other in interviews and social media with Adesanya expressing his frustration at du Plessis not wanting to face him at UFC 300. For now, du Plessis is targeting a matchup with Adesanya UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, which takes place on Aug. 17.

8:05 p.m. ET: Face the Pain is back

The UFC went all-out for its start to Saturday’s ESPN preliminaries, breaking out the STEMM classic Face the Pain to cap off a fantastic intro video that brought back fond memories of the promotion’s rise in the early 2000s.

The “Zuffa Gladiator” also made their return along with fighter interviews being presented and black and white.

Never thought that nu metal song would make you so emotional, did you?

9:01 p.m. ET: The Lioness is not impressed

There were several interested parties watching former PFL star Kayla Harrison’s UFC debut, perhaps none more so than retired MMA great Amanda Nunes.

“The Lioness” conquered two divisions and ended her career on an unbelievable 14-1 run before retiring this past June. However, according to a reaction she posted on social media, it looks like she is slightly disappointed that Harrison—who dominated Holly Holm to win her first UFC fight—didn’t mention her as a potential opponent in her post-fight speech.

Nunes and Harrison were teammates at American Top Team in Florida, but there was much talk of the two potentially meeting in the cage with both women dominating their respective promotions. Now that Harrison is officially a top contender in the UFC, it looks like Nunes was hoping that the two-time Olympic judo champion would at least make an attempt to coax her out of retirement.

8:23 p.m. ET: Mark Zuckerberg is in the building

Facebook founder, Meta CEO, and all-around rich dude Mark Zuckerberg took a seat cageside at UFC 300.

Check out his arrival below.

Zuckerberg had a front-row seat for Diego Lopes’ incredible first-round knockout of Sodiq Yusuff, but when Lopes exited the cage to celebrate with Dana White, it appeared that the featherweight contender didn’t even notice Zuckerberg was there.

7:53 p.m. ET: Game respects game, always

Following his impressive submission win over Cody Garbrandt, Deiveson Figueiredo ran into a familiar face backstage: Longtime rival, Brandon Moreno.

Figueiredo and Moreno met in a memorable four-fight flyweight championship series, which ended 2-1-1 in favor of Moreno. Despite the intense battles they engaged in, it was all love backstage at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night.

7:25 p.m. ET: The King vs. The Baddy next?

After winning a thrilling and bloody battle with Jim Miller, Bobby Green already has his next opponent in mind: Polarizing UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett.

“Paddy [Pimblett], how dare you, you slimy, sugary little snake,” Green said in his post-fight interview. “How dare you say my name? I’m coming after you. July, I’m coming to your backyard, with your people, to kick your ass.”

“The Baddy” is yet to lose inside the octagon, winning his first five fights for the promotion, most recently defeating fan favorite Tony Ferguson at UFC 296. Along the way, Pimblett has drawn a lot of attention to his fights with his brash personality.

Love him or hate him, Pimblett fighting in his home country of England against another respected veteran would certainly have fans invested.

6:45 p.m. ET: The UFC’s international stars make their presence known

The best of the best from across the globe are in Las Vegas for UFC 300.

That list includes interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall (England), two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (New Zealand), and recent bantamweight title challenger Marlon Vera (Ecuador).

And let’s not forget UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman representing the good ol’ U.S. of A.

Coleman is set to play a prominent part on tonight’s card as he will wrap the belt around the waist of the winner of the “BMF” title fight between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway.

Joe Rogan gets emotional

Joe Rogan has been one of the voices of the UFC for decades and the popular commentator and podcaster couldn’t help but shed a few tears as the event kicked off.

“I couldn’t sleep last night,” Rogan told fellow commentators Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier. “I kept getting up in the middle of the night, ‘It’s happening! It’s just hours away!’

“I’m so fired up. I’ve been here since UFC 12, so just the fact that it became the sport that it is today is beyond my wildest imagination. And to be here for this card with you guys for UFC 300, I’m just blown away.”

Drake bets big on “Poatan”

Drake is at it again.

No stranger to big wagers on UFC fight, the Canadian rapper announced that he’s thrown a six-figure wager down on Alex Pereira in the hopes of earning a nearly $ 1.2 million payout.

Pereira defends his light heavyweight title against former champion Jamahal Hill in tonight’s main event. Will the fearsome Brazilian striker fall victim to the infamous “Drake Curse?”

Sketch lets everyone know UFC has begun, brother

TikToker and Twitch streamer Sketch kicked things off in succinct fashion, dropping his catchphrase to announce the start of UFC 300.

With over 3 million followers across his social media platforms, Sketch’s words are the kind of endorsement that are key to the UFC reaching an even broader audience.

Triple H pays respect to his TKO partners

Triple H is tuned in to UFC 300.

The WWE executive and longtime sports entertainment star tweeted his admiration for the UFC, his partner under the TKO umbrella, calling it a “big night,” a “blockbuster card,” and “a milestone event.”

That’s hefty praise considering that Triple H and company just celebrated their own historic occasion this past weekend, WrestleMania 40. The two-night professional wrestling extravaganza set WWE records for viewership numbers and you can bet that UFC CEO Dana White is hoping to match that success.

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