Jiri Prochazka is retaining his choices open. However Possibility No. 1 stays changing into mild heavyweight champion once more.
The Czech star held on to his prime UFC rating at 205 kilos this previous October with a dramatic third-round knockout of Khalil Rountree at UFC 320. It was the second straight win for Prochazka, and his sixth in eight UFC appearances, together with his solely losses coming by the hands of rival Alex Pereira.
“Poatan” has talked about transferring as much as heavyweight for a superfight with Jon Jones, which might clear the trail for Prochazka to possible be booked as one-half of a vacant mild heavyweight title struggle, but it surely’s additionally attainable Pereira stays put to defend his championship, and that would preserve Prochazka out of the equation for now until the matchmakers need a trilogy bout.
In an interview with Michael Bisping, Prochazka was requested if he would contemplate a drop right down to 185 kilos slightly than look forward to Pereira’s choice, and he maintained he’d prefer to develop into a two-time champion in his division first.
“For this query about middleweight, simply I’ll go there, however I’ll go there if I’ll win the title struggle in mild heavyweight,” Prochazka stated. “That’s the purpose, and that’s why I’m talking about that, why I need to actually carry the belt again to Czech Republic.”
Prochazka first grew to become UFC champion at 205 kilos when he submitted Glover Teixeira within the fifth spherical of an immediate traditional title struggle at UFC 275. Nevertheless, shortly after, he selected to relinquish the title as a consequence of damage and when the possibility got here to seize the vacant belt at UFC 295, Pereira was there to cease him.
He misplaced a title struggle to Pereira once more at UFC 303, and has rebounded with wins over Rountree and Jamahal Hill. Towards Rountree, it regarded just like the door was about to be shut on Prochazka’s title hopes, however he authored a shocking comeback to complete Rountree within the third spherical.
Prochazka isn’t planning to chop extra weight anytime quickly, however that doesn’t imply there aren’t different modifications he could make to change his future particularly if he fights Pereira once more.
“I’m working with that each one my life,” Prochazka stated of his sluggish begins. “All my life. And lots of occasions I discovered that I want to start out a bit bit earlier to have perhaps extra energetic preparation earlier than the struggle, with the coaches, however there may be nothing realer than the struggle itself. So, I simply want a extremely harmful problem nose to nose and all of the prizes that I actually need to take after which I’ll, each time, I’ll begin in full energy.”
Whether or not he ever makes a transfer to middleweight continues to be to be decided, however Prochazka is adamant that if it occurs, it will likely be after he makes one final run at 205 kilos. And even when Pereira is gone to heavyweight, the aim stays the identical.
“Like I stated after my struggle and I don’t need to change my angle,” Prochazka stated. “After week, after week, after week, on a regular basis, retaining the identical. So for me, proper now. I need to struggle with Alex Pereira, third struggle. That’s all, that’s my opinion. All people talks about him and Jones. If that would be the plan or subsequent struggle, I want him the perfect or let the higher win. So subsequent transfer, I need to struggle for the title and for me, it doesn’t matter who the opponent.”
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Nice time to joke about this, guys.
My Greatest Pal not holding again.
Hey, fighters, so far as this present playing/fight-fixing controversy goes, just a bit recommendation from a authorized non-expert:
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