Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
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Promising light heavyweight newcomer Jiri Prochazka earned his Octagon stripes earlier tonight (Sat., July 11, 2020) at UFC 251 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Flash Forum in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, as he finished former UFC title challenger Volkan Oezdemir via second-round knockout (punch).
Prochazka pranced around the cage like Anderson Silva for almost the entire first round, trying to psyche Oezdemir out with awkward movements, zero defense, and looping punches. It was a strange debut for Prochazka to say the least, but the former RIZIN FF light heavyweight champion eventually pulled through.
Oezdemir was starting to really tag Prochazka and take control of the fight, but the UFC newcomer stayed true to his wild ways and caught “No Time” with a combination early into the second. Prochazka followed Oezdemir along the cage and landed a sniper right hand that instantly put the UFC veteran out. It was quite spectacular.
Check out the devastating finish above and some of Prochazka’s antics below, both courtesy of UFC/ESPN.
“This man is crazy but I love it!” – @Bisping
We are LIVE on @ESPN. #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/B8299ZwmWX
— UFC (@ufc) July 12, 2020
With this performance, Prochazka enters the UFC light heavyweight mix in incredible fashion, finishing a former title challenger and one of the most durable names in the division. Prochazka brought a lot of hype and skill into his debut and it eventually paid off. But he’ll need to calm his crazy ways and learn to defend better if he wants to sustain success in one of the toughest weight classes around.
For complete UFC 251 results and coverage click here.