Jiri Prochazka will finally fight fellow light heavyweight bruiser Aleksandar Rakic after years of verbal abuse from the 205-pound “Rocket.” Their featured “Prelims” bout takes place at UFC 300 this Sat. night (April 13, 2024) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
For Prochazka, disposing of the No. 5-ranked Rakic is the fastest way to a division title shot.
“I’m happy to be back in this fast time,” Prochazka (29-4-1) told The Schmo (transcribed by MMA News). “I believe after the last fight, after the early end, that end of the fight, if I win [on April 13] — and I hope and believe I’m able to win, to handle that fight — I deserve the title shot. So let’s go for that.”
Prochazka, 31, lost his light heavyweight title after getting dropped by Alex Pereira at UFC 295 late last year, though not everyone in the combat sports community was satisfied with what appeared to be a premature stoppage.
“From one angle of me, I’d like to fight him, I’d like to fight (Pereira) next,” Prochazka continued. “But, it depends if he wins. It doesn’t matter. Like last time, for me it’s not too important to get the title back, but I want to prove the next step of the mastery on my way. That’s all (it’s) about; about the performance, about showing the best performance every time, and about the joy from fighting.”
Pereira defends his light heavyweight title against Jamahal Hill in the UFC 300 main event.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 300 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the UFC 300 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 300: “Pereira vs. Hill” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive UFC 300 event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 300 fight card and PPV lineup click here.