Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill is eager to take against Alex Pereira once more. When Hill (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) takes on another former champion, Jiri Prochazka, at UFC 311, the year's first pay-per-view event, he will have his chance to shine. "It's time for us to meet and see who moves forward because we've been headed for a collision for a while," Hill stated to WOOD TV8. The next step is most likely a chance to capture the UFC title. According to the most recent USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie light heavyweight rankings, Hill is ranked fourth and Prochazka is ranked third. Magomed Anklalaev is ranked number two, but they are all competing for the crown. Hill had the chance to compete against Pereira in the main event of UFC 300. It wasn't ideal for "Sweet Dreams," who had to forfeit the title in July 2023 while recovering from an Achilles rupture. Was I in the right place in terms of the injuries? Excuses are not what I want to do. "Anyone who has had or knows anything about Achilles surgery knows that nine months isn't ideal," Hill said. But I decided to fight in the end. I relied on myself and went in ready to battle. So what transpired transpired. Pereira stopped Hill when "Poatan" hit him with a left hook in the opening round. Hill objected to Pereira's celebration and offered a thought-provoking analysis of the loss shortly after it occurred. He also nearly turned the altercation into an impromptu brawl when he confronted Pereira at the UFC PI in Las Vegas. Hill says he learned to be more forceful from the sanctioned battle against Pereria. “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,” Hill said. “But ultimately, I took the fight. I banked on myself and went in there ready to fight. So, what happened, happened.” Reflecting on the sanctioned fight against Pereria now, Hill sees it as a lesson to be more aggressive. “My takeaway from that is just be more gritty as a competitor,” Hill said. “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.”