Jiri Prochazka loved seeing Alex Pereira win, and he actually loved seeing Magomed Ankalaev lose at UFC 320.
Two key gentle heavyweight fights came about Saturday in Las Vegas, with Pereira regaining his UFC title with a quick knockout of Ankalaev in the principle occasion, and Prochazka scoring a comeback KO of Khalil Rountree earlier within the night. After his struggle, Prochazka took a seat within the crowd and appeared to turn into emotional when Pereira put Ankalaev away in simply 80 seconds.
Pereira and Prochazka have shared the cage twice with gold on the road, with Pereira popping out on high each occasions. On the night’s post-fight press convention, Prochazka was requested about why he had such an emotional response seeing his longtime rival profitable.
“You recognize, win, lose, win, lose, whoever, however Alex and his workforce, Glover Teixeira there, and all of those guys, we now have good relationship with them,” Prochazka stated. “I actually wished him to win as a result of all this bullshit what Ankalaev introduced earlier than and all these nonsenses, what he talked about himself, about others. In order that was why I used to be completely happy as a result of I noticed actually indignant Alex going ahead to Ankalaev and that was one thing what I wanted to be in my struggle, too.”
Prochazka didn’t specify precisely what his problem with Ankalaev is, however it may have one thing to do with Ankalaev’s social media presence, which ceaselessly sees him calling out and insulting his fellow gentle heavyweights on Twitter (Pereira has additionally accused Ankalaev of getting his tweets written for him by his supervisor Ali Abdelaziz, a principle Ankalaev has refuted).
Making Prochazka’s most important occasion response even stranger is that Pereira profitable seemingly prevents him from preventing for the title subsequent as Pereira is already 2-0 of their collection. Nonetheless, Prochazka is optimistic about his title struggle possibilities.
“Sure, I consider I’m in place to get the belt,” Prochazka stated. “It doesn’t matter how. I’ll discover a approach.”
“I’d take all these two fights, what I realized from, and I can’t repeat my errors,” he added when requested what he’ll change for a Pereira trilogy bout. “I shall be simply higher. I’ll discover a approach.”
High gentle heavyweight contender Carlos Ulberg was additionally in attendance at T-Cellular Area, having beforehand supplied to function a backup for Saturday’s most important occasion. Ulberg is at the moment on a nine-fight win streak, capped off by a thudding knockout of Dominick Reyes at UFC Perth final weekend, and he seems to be on the entrance of the contender line.
It’s unclear whether or not Ulberg fights Pereira, or probably slots in as one half of a vacant title bout ought to Pereira transfer as much as heavyweight to chase a 3rd title. If it seems Prochazka—who gained the 205-pound championship at UFC 275 in 2022—known as upon to face throughout from Ulberg, he’s prepared.
“I simply need to struggle for the title,” Prochazka stated. “Irrespective of who.”
