The former UFC light heavyweight champion Ji?í Procházka is confident that he can get back to winning ways and lift 205-pound gold once again ahead of his return at UFC 311. When “BJP” first arrived in the UFC, he was a breath of fresh air in the division.
With three consecutive wins and finishes, the former RIZIN fighter climbed to the very top but since his incredible back-and-forth battle with Glover Teixeira in 2022, things haven’t been going to plan for the Czech enigma. Since vacating the title due to a substantial injury, he has lost two fights to the current champion, Alex Pereira.
Though he did rebound from his first defeat at the hands of “Poatan” with a win over Aleksandar Raki? at UFC 300 last April, that was a tough fight for him and it led to another devastating display from Pereira at UFC 303 in June. Whilst his recent run may have led to some fans losing faith in his ability to reach the same heights of that night in Singapore for UFC 275, Procházka is unsurprisingly undeterred.
His mindset has always been one of his strongest attributes and he believes that this weekend at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles will begin a new chapter for him in his career. Before he takes on former champion Jamahal Hill in a fight with huge stakes attached for both men, he made it crystal clear in an interview with SiriusXM that whilst everything hasn’t gone his way as of late, he’s ready to start turning it around.
‘You don’t believe me right now but I believe. I believe that I made a change in myself. Necessary big change that right now my style and myself, I’m prepared for the title, against whoever. Against Ankalaev, against Pereira.”