Alex Pereira to defend light heavyweight title against Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in Las Vegas, Dana White confirms

UFC president Dana White has confirmed the headline bout for UFC 300 in Las Vegas will be a title fight between reigning champion Alex Pereira and former holder Jamahal Hill.

Hill was forced to vacate his title last year following an Achilles tendon injury, never getting a chance to defend it.

His injury-enforced absence then allowed Pereira to claim the belt by defeating Czech fighter Jiri Prochaka in November.

White promised fireworks in his announcement of a meeting between two fighters who claimed the title in 2023, with neither being defeated since.

He said: "I guarantee an absolute drag-out war between two massive world champions that are also two of the nastiest fighters on the roster."

The event in April will also feature two other title fights.

In the men's Lightweight category, Justin 'The Highlight' Gaethje will defend the title that he has held since January 2014 against the Hawaiian Max 'Blessed' Holloway. Holloway has won four of his past five fights, including a knockout of 'The Korean Zombie' Jung Chan-sung late last year.

The pair had an impromptu face off on Saturday, as part of the build-up to UFC 298, but were all smiles ahead of the highly anticipated bout.

Zhang Weili will defend her women's Strawweight title against fellow Chinese fighter Yan 'Fury' Xiaonan. Zhang claimed the belt for the first time in 2019 by defeating Jessica Andrade and beat Joanna Jedrzejcyck to defend it but lost consecutive fights against Rose Namajunas in 2021 to surrender the title.

She won back her belt from Carla Esparza back in 2022, then successfully defended it once again last year against Amanda Lemos.

Other notable fights already announced on the card for UFC 300 include Prochazka facing Aleksandar Rakic, ex-bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling moving into the Featherweight division to fight Calvin Kattar, and middleweight Bo Nickal facing off with Cody Brundage.

Some fans were disappointed that the anticipated return of Conor McGregor did not feature in White's announcement. Following a leg break last year, McGregor has been hinting at a return to the Octagon, but the wait will continue for now.

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.