Jiri Prochazka is proud to have shared the octagon with Khalil Rountree.
The 2 standard mild heavyweights collided in a must-see bout at UFC 320 earlier this month. After Rountree received the primary two rounds, Prochazka determined to go for broke in Spherical 3, which led to a vicious beating that knocked Rountree out chilly.
Due to the injury executed by Prochazka, Rountree was helped out of the octagon and wasn’t round for the official choice being introduced. Prochazka didn’t get an opportunity to talk to Rountree after the struggle, so he was requested to ship a message to the current title challenger.
“The very first thing I need to say to Khalil: Thanks,” Prochazka advised MMA Combating. “Thanks for the superb struggle. Thanks, as a result of each time, once you share the cage with some opponents, he’s additionally your instructor as a result of he’s instructing you the right way to overcome him, the right way to overcome his assaults, the right way to study, the right way to be higher, as a result of that’s what we’re doing. … I’m sharpening him, he’s sharpening me.
“That’s the purpose of combating, to be higher — to be higher as a people, and to discover a manner the right way to overcome someone, even ourselves, by our efficiency, to discover a manner the right way to be higher in our efficiency, the right way to be higher than our opponents. … I’m grateful to him, to share the cage with him, and particularly with him, as a result of there was not too many opponents as dynamic and hard like him.”
Prochazka is now 2-0 in 2025, which features a knockout win over former champion Jamahal Hill at UFC 311 in January.
“BJP” hopes the win places him in place to struggle for the sunshine heavyweight title subsequent — whether or not it’s towards Alex Pereira, or anyone else — however after rewatching the bout, Prochazka wasn’t overly thrilled with what he noticed previous to the third spherical.
“I’ve thought of [what this win meant], it was for me actually one thing the place I didn’t present what I actually labored on,” Prochazka mentioned. “I simply noticed that struggle and I used to be, I don’t need to say disgusted by my efficiency, however I need to say, I used to be higher [than what I showed]. I used to be a lot better and I actually labored to point out my enchancment, to point out what I’ve labored [on], to be a lot better in counter timing and a lot better in working with the area between us, and in regards to the motion.
“However ultimately, I simply needed to make a giant step again right down to the fundamentals — laborious work, whole searching, and simply laborious work. Going by [a fighter like] Khalil simply by laborious work. Nothing else. Simply to hunt him, and that is one thing that I don’t love to do within the sparring, and in combating as a result of it’s the very last thing and it’s so [high] threat to try this. So, this for me, [was] like final possibility, and after two rounds, what I wished to seek out [was something good] tactically, some good technique to finish it, to catch him, to seek out some arrange for Khalil. I simply had to return to the fundamentals as a result of it was actually crucial, as a result of it was the final spherical. I needed to finish Khalil by knockout. I needed to finish him.
“[The only possibility was] to win by knockout in order that’s why I’m joyful that I [found] a manner.”
Prochazka hopes he can avenge his two losses to Pereira, and considers it a “dream” situation — which is why he was so emotional cageside watching Pereira’s lopsided stoppage win over Magomed Ankalaev within the UFC 320 fundamental occasion.
In fact, he doubtless gave Pereira an A grade for the 80-second knockout victory over his rival, however the studious Prochazka graded his personal efficiency on a more durable scale.
“[I give it a] C,” Prochazka mentioned. “C as a result of not good, not dangerous. Perhaps somewhat bit dangerous, however ultimately, you discover a manner. So that may be a C.”
