UFC 300 exclusive: 'Mindset to fight five rounds' - Alex Pereira ready to go the distance with Jamahal Hill

Alex Pereira has dismissed talk of an early finish against Jamahal Hill at UFC 300, insisting he is ready to go the distance in his light-heavyweight title defence.

The pair had initially been pencilled in to fight in three weeks' time in Pereira's home nation of Brazil, but were bumped up to headline the landmark event in Las Vegas on Saturday night, exclusively live on TNT Sports.

The reigning champion is the clear bookmakers' favourite for the victory, particularly given a year-long layoff for Hill following an injury which caused him to vacate the crown which now sits on Pereira's head.

Jiri Prochazka succumbed to a TKO loss to Pereira back in November for that title, which came after a light-heavyweight debut against Jan Blachowicz four months earlier.

Speaking to TNT Sports analyst Adam Catterall ahead of UFC 300, the 36-year-old said of Hill: "It's a great challenge. He's a former champion, he's aggressive, he's strong.

"Everything that comes together for fight week... people think we just come here and fight, but no, look at how many media obligations we have to do, everything we have to do.

"That is already a toll for us. Plus, going and fighting a very tough guy on Saturday night that is trying to take the belt, that is trying to become champ, that alone is already hard.

"It finishes hopefully with my hand raised. Everybody is saying a knockout or submission, but I'm going there with the mindset to fight five rounds. If anything else happens in the meantime, better, but my mindset is to fight five rounds."

The former kickboxer is now approaching his 12th MMA bout and seventh in the UFC. He is already a two-division king in the latter, having beaten Israel Adesanya to clinch middleweight gold before losing a rematch with 'Stylebender' last April.

If Pereira can move up once again, to heavyweight, and win another title in those ranks, he would make UFC history by becoming the first ever three-division champion.

But he revealed he has no imminent plans for that, and nor does he entertain the thought of being called the 'GOAT'.

"First of all, in the conversation of 'greatest of all time', I don't like to place myself because that's not for me to say," Pereira said.

"I can place myself anywhere, but if not organisation one, not rank one, I'll be frustrated. So that's not a conversation for me to have.

"As far as [becoming a] three-division champ, the same way as [the move from] middleweight, I've got to listen to my body. When my body tells me I've got to go up, that it's hard to make this weight class, that it's healthier for me to move up, I will. I'm feeling good right now. When my body tells me to move up, I'll move up."

Elsewhere on the card, which TNT Sports' Michael Bisping has labelled as one of the best in the promotion's three-decade history, Zhang Weili defends her strawweight title against Yan Xiaonan in the first-ever all-Chinese championship fight, while Justin Gaethje faces Max Holloway for the BMF strap.

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