“Herb Dean made a mistake…” Alex Pereira KO against Jamahal Hill might have asterisk, reveals UFC legend

Daniel Cormier talks about the controversial moment in Alex Pereira's UFC 300 victory over Jamahal Hill.

“Herb Dean made a mistake…” Alex Pereira KO against Jamahal Hill might have asterisk, reveals UFC legend

Alex Pereira refused Herb Dean's intervention against Jamahal Hill (Image via: IMAGO, X)

With a knockout of Jamahal Hill, Alex Pereira defended his light heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 300. Unsurprisingly, Pereira knocked out Hill with his signature left hook. The finish came seconds after Hill landed an illegal kick on Pereira’s groin. However, Pereira refused referee Herb Dean‘s intervention and went to knock his opponent out cold.

UFC legend Daniel Cormier was in the commentary booth at UFC 300, and Cormier talked about the fight between Hill and Pereira with his nephews and cousins soon after. They had differing opinions on why the knockout happened, which Cormier did not endorse. Nonetheless, he revealed what they said in the recent episode of his show, Funky and the Champ.

They [Cormier's nephews and cousins] thought that Herb Dean made a mistake because while we are all lost in the idea of Herb going to step in, Alex [Pereira] puts his hand out, Herb steps back. Whenever you have an illegal strike, they are saying that they should have been separated and then they come back together as a fresh restart. It didn't happen. A very short time later, Alex landed the shot that put Jamal [Hill] down.
Daniel Cormier via Funky and the Champ
YouTube video

Nevertheless, Ben Askren, the co-host of his show, disagreed with the assessment as he believed it would’ve been an argument if Pereira had illegally kicked Hill. Moreover, he hilariously trolled Cormier for even suggesting the instance to play a part in Pereira’s victory.

FS Video

Cormier also talked about instances where referees were in the wrong. The former two-division champion referenced Cain Velasquez‘s fight with Junior Dos Santos in which Herb Dean made mistakes. On the other hand, Aksren boasted that he predicted a first-round knockout for Pereira in the Verdict app.

UFC legend Daniel Cormier bewildered by the success of Alex Pereira in the UFC

Alex Pereira only had a professional MMA record of 3 wins and a sole loss before he made his UFC debut. However, in just seven fights, he became a two-division UFC champion, and in his 8th fight, he defended his light heavyweight title. Moreover, his past six fights were against champions, former champions, or fighters who went on to become champions in the UFC.

Alex Pereira
Alex Pereira (via Instagram-ESPN)

In his YouTube show with Ben Askren, Cormier expressed his bewilderment at Pereira’s success as he could not fathom how someone who is not a good wrestler became a two-division UFC champion. Askren countered the argument, stating there are not enough good enough wrestlers at light heavyweight. Interestingly, Cormier mentioned that Magomed Ankaleav is a good wrestler, but Askren did not think so.

https://twitter.com/MixedMartialAus/status/1780718483841675447

Cormier also mentioned what Chael Sonnen said about Pereira. According to Sonnen, Pereira is not a finished product, and the prospect of Pereira’s improvement, even in his mid-30s, would be shocking. With intentions of becoming a heavyweight champion, fight fans will closely watch the UFC’s plans for the Brazilian.

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