Newly-crowned light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka recently told the combat sports media that his first title defense was coming against former 205-pound titleholder Jan Blachowicz after the power-punching Pole demanded a “Battle of Europe.”
“Now it’s Jan, I think the next challenger,” Prochazka said. “So, I would like to fight Jan because I think I have the keys to defeat him. So, let’s do that. I think Europe would be the best place between the Polish and Czech Republic. It’s too early to talk about the next fight. But I know the next fight will be against Jan, and I will be prepared for that.”
But in the weeks that followed his fifth-round submission win over Glover Teixeira, the 29 year-old Prochazka had a change of heart and walked back his previous commitment to Blachowicz in favor of an immediate rematch against the aging Brazilian.
That didn’t sit well with the former champ.
“‘Jan is for me the biggest challenge’ — your words,” Blachowicz wrote on Twitter. “Respect you champ, but the samurai code was not upheld.”
Prochazka (33-8) has been touting his samurai code over the last few years but like Blachowicz, not everyone is a believer. In fact, light heavyweight “Rocket” Aleksandar Rakic lodged a similar complaint against “Denisa” after this potential fight fell apart.
“With Glover, it’s a matter of honor and duty to show pure fight,” Prochazka responded to Blachowicz on Twitter. “This is more than a challenge.”
Nothing is official at this time but considering UFC President Dana White was blown away by the first fight between Prochazka and Teixeira, a second one seems like a no-brainer, assuming both parties are willing to put pen to paper for a five-round rematch.
As for Blachowicz … there’s always this cross-division super fight.