Remember when Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill seemed like they absolutely detested each other? Well, it turns out that the entire situation was about as real as a reality TV plot. In a recent interview with James Lynch of Home of Fight, the former light heavyweight champion dropped a bombshell confession: their iconic face-to-face altercation at the UFC Performance Institute in December 2024 was completely staged!

According to ‘Sweet Dreams,’ the fake drama was a desperate, premeditated attempt to jump top contender Magomed Ankalaev and secure a lucrative rematch with ‘Poatan’ after getting previously knocked out by him at UFC 300.

“We’re cool, bro! I just want to make sure about this whole narrative and s—, like, dude, me and him are cool, bro,” he said. “There’s never been any beef. There’s never been, like, any animosity. We’ve never had to be separated or any of those things… There was the video—we planned that.

“That was for us to try to hype up a fight between the two of us. I was trying to jump the line over Magomed because I didn’t want Ankalaev to fight him because I knew; I called it. Just like I called it, what happened happened. I mean, it wasn’t hate; it was just something that I saw, and I’m like, ‘I’d rather be the one to do that’.”

Jamahal Hill even added that he is still very close to Alex Pereira and his family. In fact, he goes on casual walks with the Brazilian’s coach, Glover Teixeira.

“But, yeah, bro, we’re cool,” he added. “I talk to his kids; every time I see him, I speak to his family. Every time I see him, his whole team, everything like that.

“Me and Glover [Teixeira, his coach and Hill’s former opponent], we have our little walks and s—.”

It’s a stark contrast from the person who spent months whining that referee Herb Dean botched the stoppage in their first bout. Ironically, Alex Pereira is now dealing with referee drama following his own recent loss, but ‘Sweet Dreams’ claims there’s no bad blood or lingering malice on his end.

However, while Jamahal Hill seems relieved to finally have the big secret off his chest, the MMA community is surely furious at him for pulling back the curtain and absolutely destroying the illusion.

Josh Hokit and fight fans torch Jamahal Hill for breaking kayfabe

UFC Freedom 250 standout and rising heavyweight star Josh Hokit led the charge on social media, retweeting the confession on X with a serious question for Jamahal Hill.

“But why admit it? Take that shii to the grave fam,” he wrote on X.

Several fight fans quickly piled on as well, completely baffled by why ‘Sweet Dreams’ would willingly expose his own scam. “Why come out and say this?” one fan questioned, while another asked, “Why the f— would he tell/reveal us this?” A third chimed in, “And you’re finally admitting it because..??”

For others, the confession just confirmed their deepest suspicions that the UFC is leaning way too hard into professional wrestling territory now. “Lame. UFC going wrestling gimmicks,” a fan complained. Another sighed, “They hype (lie) then touch gloves and hug at the end of the fight. No doubt the beef’s fake in UFC nowadays. They’re all f—— actors atp.”

The theatrical nature of the PI confrontation didn’t fool everyone, either. “I thought everyone knew this,” a user pointed out. “Literally looked like a WWE backstage promo.” Some fight fans took a more cynical view of modern MMA, with one noting, “This is how this industry works, and once you understand it, you realize that nothing is personal. It’s all business.”

While making the confession, Jamahal Hill may have believed he was lifting the curtains off a really clever business strategy, but by breaking the golden rule of fight promotion, he has left fans feeling cheapened by the theatricality of it all instead.