"I don’t like to make excuses"- Learning from Alex Pereira loss, Jamahal Hill claims road to redemption begins at UFC 311 against Jiri Prochazka

Jamahal Hill has not competed since April when he challenged Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title at UFC 300, suffering a first-round knockout loss. It marked his first bout since suffering a ruptured Achilles that forced him to vacate the title nine months earlier.

The No.3-ranked light heavyweight is set to make his return next month as he faces Jiri Prochazka at UFC 311. He recently reflected on the loss to 'Poatan', while sharing how it has helped him prepare for his upcoming bout.

Speaking to Jack Doles of WOOD TV8, Hill was asked what he learned from the loss and if he returned from injury too soon, responding:

"I don't like to make excuses, but was I 100 percent where I needed to be as far as the injury goes? I mean, anybody who's had an Achilles surgery or knows anything about Achilles surgery, nine months isn't ideal, but ultimately, I took the fight. I banked on myself and went in there ready to fight. So, what happened, happened. My takeaway from that is just be more gritty as a competitor."

Hill continued:

"People are out here for their dreams and that comes with a certain edge and attitude with it. It's not that I didn't know that, it's just that it was just a really, really painful reminder of that... I'm extremely hungry to get back. I'm feeling better. I'm feeling closer to where I was pre any of the injuries. It's all starting to come back together and come back into formnand I'm just excited to get back in."

Check out Jamahal Hill's comments on losing to Alex Pereira and facing Jiri Prochazka below (1:06):

Hill added that the bounce in his legs is back, while sharing that he hasn't thought about the Achilles injury in some time. He praised his opponents all-around skill set while noting that he has to be locked in during the bout, particularly in the latter stages.

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Jiri Prochazka calls out Jamahal Hill for pre-fight trash talk

Jiri Prochazka recently took aim at Jamahal Hill, claiming that he is not a fan of his upcoming opponent's pre-fight trash talk. Speaking to Mike Heck Jr. of MMA Fighting, the No.2-ranked light heavyweight claimed:

"I don’t care what he’s saying because it’s not just primarily about me. It just shows what is in his head. Man, I don’t care about what other people say about me because when you know how this works, how to work the mental of the human body, so how people can speak about others and why they speak about others, especially when he don’t know me personally. He knows just my fighting style and in that, he’s totally out with his commentary."

Check out Jiri Prochazka's comments on Jamahal Hill below:

Prochazka added that he looks at trash talk as a sign of weakness and a lack of confidence. Hill previously called out his fighting style, claiming that he is not a smart fighter and takes too much damage.