Jamahal Hill reacts as Alex Pereira fan who was cancer-stricken overcomes the deadly disease

Last year, Alex Pereira shaved the head of a fan suffering from cancer, driving him to tears. Now, the fan in question, Ashton Choothesa, revealed that his cancer is in remission, joining Pereira in a short clip that has made the rounds on social media and drawn the attention of Jamahal Hill on Instagram.

In June 2024, Pereira collaborated with Challenge, an Australian non-profit organization that aids those struggling with cancer. It was during this time that he encountered Choothesa, who is a Muay Thai kickboxer, and shaved his head, shedding tears in the process.

The moment went viral on social media, as it offered a rare glimpse of emotion from the usually stone-faced Pereira. Now, Choothesa is cancer-free.

Hill popped up in the comment section of the Instagram post detailing Pereira's history with Choothesa and the latter's victory over cancer. Hill is a bitter rival of Pereira's, with Hill's trash talk defining the leadup to their UFC 300 encounter, which ended with Pereira knocking 'Sweet Dreams' out in just three minutes.

Unfortunately, Hill reacted poorly to his loss, which led to tremendous fan ridicule and a negative relationship between him and the MMA fandom in general. However, this time, 'Sweet Dreams' made a heartfelt and encouraging comment, putting his feud with Pereira aside in a gesture that has earned him applause.

A screenshot of Jamahal Hill's comment

Moroever, the rivalry between the pair has likely cooled following Hill's TKO loss to the wild Jiří Procházka. This loss leaves him on a two-fight losing streak and nowhere near a shot at Pereira's light heavyweight title.

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Alex Pereira will be motivated for his UFC 313 main event

On March 8, Alex Pereira makes his return to the octagon at UFC 313, where he will defend his light heavyweight title for the fourth time against Magomed Ankalaev. Given his latest interaction with Ashton Choothesa, he will be determined to score a victory, especially against an opponent like Ankalaev.

Ahead of UFC 313, much has been said about Ankalaev and by the Dagestani contender himself, who is ramping up his trash talk with promises to embarrass Pereira. Meanwhile, a large chunk of the MMA world believes that Ankalaev's wrestling will pose the greatest threat to Pereira's title reign since its inception.