Alex Pereira hands Jamahal Hill his first ever KO loss as he stops the former champion in the FIRST ROUND of their UFC 300 main event showdown

Alex Pereira knocked out Jamahal Hill in the first round of their UFC 300 main event clash on Saturday.

In a landmark event that had already seen Max Holloway produce one of the greatest knockouts in the sport’s history, the main event pair had a tough act to follow.

Hill entered the headline bout returning to action after an injury while playing basketball last summer forced him to vacate the title just months after defeating Pereira’s mentor Glover Teixeira at UFC 283.

Meanwhile, Poatan had continued his rapid ascent since transitioning from kickboxing and joined the select group of two-weight UFC champions by defeating Jiri Prochazka in November in just his eleventh fight as a mixed martial artist.

From the opening bell at T-Mobile Arena, Pereira stalked the challenger, wading forward without regard for Hill’s striking power.

An emotional process between the two fighters ensued as Hill attempted to land kicks on the open side in the southpaw vs orthodox matchup.

Pereira combined jabs to the body with his patented low kicks to force Hill back against the Octagon fence, before a low kick from American referee Herb Dean briefly called for a timeout.

However, the defending champion immediately withdrew from the intervention and insisted he was able to continue fighting.

Just seconds later, Pereira committed to throwing his devastating lead left hook for the first time in the fight, the blow landing perfectly on Hill’s jaw, sending him crashing to the canvas.

The challenger recovered admirably as Pereira followed him to the mat, but the Brazilian’s onslaught proved too much and the bout was stopped at 3:14 of the first round.

More to follow