UFC 300 results, highlights: Alex Pereira viciously knocks out Jamahal Hill to retain light heavyweight title

Not since Jon Jones has a light heavyweight looked so dominant

Alex Pereira's "Poatan" nickname translates to "stone hands" but his stone-cold demeanor is most terrifying. Pereira, unbothered by the power Jamahal Hill possessed, knocked out the challenger in one round to cap off an all-time memorable UFC 300 card on Saturday.

The UFC light heavyweight division has struggled with consistency since Jon Jones vacated the title in August 2020. Multiple vacancies and a boring draw prevented the weight class from moving forward. After knocking out Hill and Jiri Prochazka successively, Pereira is poised to carry the division into the future.

The finishing sequence will be fondly remembered. Referee Herb Dean called for a time-out after Hill kicked Pereira in the groin. Pereira -- without ever taking his eyes off his prey -- nudged the referee back with his hand. Moments later, the laser-focused champion landed a left uppercut that rolled Hill's eyes back. Pereira measured his distance and reigned down ground and pound to render Hill unconscious. Pereira's second light heavyweight title fight was also the second faster stoppage of his mixed martial arts career, topped only by a 2022 KO of Sean Strickland at middleweight.

Pereira vs. Hill was originally targeted for UFC 301 in the champion's home nation of Brazil. Pereira doubled down on his desire to make the quick turnaround to fight again on the May 4 pay-per-view in Rio de Janeiro. Interestingly, Pereira said he wanted the short-notice fight to take place at heavyweight.

"I want to keep defending this belt," Pereira said through an interpreter during his post-fight interview at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. "I talked a lot about fighting in Brazil. I won this fight. I'm not hurt. Nothing happened. I know there needs to be a lot of promotion behind a fight, but I want to fight at heavyweight."

Multiple story threads were at play on Saturday night. Pereira, despite rejecting the narrative, completed a revenge arch in the name of his mentor Glover Teixeira. Hill and Prochazka defeated Teixeira in consecutive UFC title fights leading to his retirement. Pereira's first two light heavyweight title fights ended in KO victories over the same two men who beat his close friend. There was also a matter of lineage. Prochazka and Hill had claims to the championship after vacating it due to injury. By defeating both men back-to-back, Pereira crushed any doubt about being the best light heavyweight in the promotion.

Pereira's quick success in MMA is remarkable. He won UFC titles in two weight classes by his 11th professional fight and has defeated five UFC champions in Octagon appearances. A uniquely decorated striker, Pereira is the only man to win multiple weight class titles in both Glory kickboxing and UFC.

Plus, women's strawweight champion Zhang Weili retained her title with a decision over Yan Xiaonan. That fight saw some dramatic swings as Zhang appeared to finish Yan twice in the first two rounds only for Yan to rally in the middle rounds and give the champ all she could handle.

But the highlight of the night had to be Max Holloway. "Blessed" battered former lightweight title challenger Justin Gaethje over five rounds before delivering a brutal knockout that left Gaethje out cold with one second left on the clock. The former featherweight king hopes to get a shot at either the featherweight or lightweight titles next. 

After UFC CEO Dana White promised to bump up the performance bonuses from $50,000 to $300,000 at Thursday's press conference, fighters went all out to capture the extra money. Holloway did just that as he earned both Performance of the Night and shared Fight of the Night with Gaethje. The other Performance of the Night award went to Jiri Prochazka for his rally to TKO Aleksandr Rakic on the prelims.

CBS Sports was with you the entire way on Saturday bringing you all the results and highlights from the UFC 300 below.

UFC 300 card, results

• Alex Pereira (c) def. Jamahal Hill via first-round knockout (punch)
• Zhang Weili (c) def. Yan Xiaonan via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45)
  
• Max Holloway def. Justin Gaethje via fifth-round knockout (punch)
• Arman Tsarukyan def. Charles Oliveira via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
  
• Bo Nickal def. Cody Brundage via second-round submission (rear-naked choke)
• Jiri Prochazka def. Aleksandar Rakic via second-round TKO (punches)
• Aljamain Sterling def. Calvin Kattar via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Kayla Harrison def. Holly Holm via second-round submission (rear-naked choke)
• Diego Lopes def. Sodiq Yusuff via first-round TKO (punches)
• Renato Moicano def. Jalin Turner via second-round TKO (punches)
  
• Jessica Andrade def. Marina Rodriguez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Bobby Green def. Jim Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 29-26)
• Deiveson Figueiredo def. Cody Garbrandt via second-round submission (rear-naked choke)

[Apr 14, 2024 at 1:30 am ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill -- Round 1: Pereira opened with a low kick immediately. Hill threw one of his own in return, but didn't land as solidly before Pereira threw and landed another. Pereira landed a heavy body kick and Hill countered with a right hand over the top. Another Pereira leg kick landed. Hill had a head kick blocked. Pereira poked to the body with a few punches. Hill landed a low blow, but Pereira waived the referee away as he attempted to step in. Seconds later, Pereria landed an uppercut and dropped Hill. Some follow up shots on the floor and it was all over. Dominant stuff. Official result: Alex Pereira def. Jamahal Hill via TKO, Round 1

[Apr 14, 2024 at 1:20 am ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Jamahal Hill and Alex Pereira are in the Octagon and the UFC 300 main event is mere minutes away from getting underway.

[Apr 14, 2024 at 1:05 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

The long-anticipated UFC 300 event is winding down. All that remains is the main event. UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira makes his first title defense against Jamahal Hill. The challenger was forced to vacate the title due to a ruptured Achilles heel. Hill looks to reclaim the title he never lost against the most decorated striker in UFC history. Pereira is the only combat sports athlete to win multiple weight class titles in Glory Kickboxing and UFC.

[Apr 14, 2024 at 1:04 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Official result: Zhang Weili def. Yan Xiaonan via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45) to retain the UFC women's strawweight championship.

[Apr 14, 2024 at 1:02 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan -- Round 5: A sneaky head kick landed for Zhang. The champion launched forward for a takedown and landed on top. Xiaonan reversed position as Zhang slid to mount. Back to the feet they went. It didn't take the champion long to ground the challenger. Zhang kept Xiaonan on the mat, controlling the position and landing blows. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Zhang (49-44 Zhang overall).

[Apr 14, 2024 at 12:56 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan -- Round 4: A crisp 1-2 by Xiaonan. Zhang threw a naked leg kick -- despite her corner directing her not to -- and was countered by a right hand, left hook that dropped the champ. Zhang capitalized on a tactical error by Xiaonan and secured a much-needed takedown. The champ racking up ground and pound. Zhang maintained back control for more than half the round, tallying points with her punches. The challenger's left eye is swollen badly. Xiaonan likely needs a finish after a strong start to the round ended terribly. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Zhang (39-35 Zhang overall)

[Apr 14, 2024 at 12:50 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan -- Round 3: Xiaonan hit the champion with a sidekick to the body that propelled Zhang to the mat. Xiaonan dropped the champion with a hard punch! Xiaonan wisely avoided following Zhang to the ground. The challenger instead banked on leg kicks to her grounded foe until the referee stepped in. Xiaonan caught the champ coming in with a punch that briefly took her to a knee. Fortunately, Zhang fell into her opponent and initiated a clinch. A pair of takedowns by the challenger! What a remarkable comeback by the challenger. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Xiaonan (29-26 Zhang overall).

[Apr 14, 2024 at 12:43 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan -- Round 2: Zhang recognized her wrestling advance and returned to it early. A takedown followed by another back take for the champ. Xiaonan wisely turned to her back to avoid another rear-naked choke scare. Zhang took the back again and started reigning ground-and-pound punches. The challenger continued to move in response to the referee's direction while eating blows. Zhang abandoned the rear-naked choke and locked in a tight-arm triangle choke. Xiaonan remarkably pried her head through the attack and got to her feet. That was a textbook 10-8 round for the champ. Unofficial scorecard: 10-8 Zhang (20-16 Zhang overall).

[Apr 14, 2024 at 12:39 am ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan-- Round 1: The champ opened up with chopping leg kicks. Xiaonan surprised Zhang with a trip takedown but didn't do much with it. A hard punch forced the champion back. It's been a surprisingly effective round for the challenger who entered as the second-biggest underdog on the 13-fight card. Zhang landed a spinning back fist. Zhang continued to find success with calf kicks. Zhang may have cracked Xiaonan in close followed by a fantastic hip toss by the champ. Zhang locked in a dead-to-rights rear-naked choke with 15 seconds left. She appeared to be on the precipice of unconsciousness but was able to stumble back to her feet. There were protests about whether or not she was conscious; however, she struggled to her feet when commanded by referee Jason Herzog. Unofficial scorecard: 10-8 Zhang.