Tag: Jiri Prochazka

Procházka: I’d Accept A Top-5 Opponent If Title Fight Will Be A Long Wait

Despite targeting a title crowning in his next outing, UFC light heavyweight contender Ji?í Procházka is willing to face another top five first if he’s facing a lengthy wait for Glover Teixeira to be ready.

Not many promotional newcomers have broke…

Ji?í Procházka

Despite targeting a title crowning in his next outing, UFC light heavyweight contender Ji?í Procházka is willing to face another top five first if he’s facing a lengthy wait for Glover Teixeira to be ready.

Not many promotional newcomers have broken onto the scene in as impactful and brutal a way as Procházka. The Czech powerhouse arrived on MMA’s biggest stage in 2020 off the back of a successful career across the Pacific. Prior to UFC 251, “Denisa” had built a 26-3-1 record that included 23 knockouts and championship glory in Japan’s Rizin promotion.

Continuing his KO tendency, Procházka sent top-10 light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir to sleep in his debut last July. After securing a bonus in his first appearance, the 29-year-old added a further two in his second. Against former title challenger Dominick Reyes, Procházka recorded one of the knockouts of the year as he rendered “The Devastator” unconscious with a vicious spinning back elbow.

Procházka Looks To Avoid Lengthy Period Of Inactivity

After weighing in as a backup for the UFC 267 main event last month, Procházka is expected to be the first challenger to Teixeira’s reign. The Brazilian defeated Procházka’s fellow European Jan Blachowicz to become the second oldest champion in UFC history.

In an interview with SCMP MMA prior to the Abu Dhabi-held event, Procházka discussed what the next steps would be once his services weren’t required on October 30. The Czech star made it clear the light heavyweight belt is his primary target.

“My plan is for my manager to spoke about, with the UFC, about my next fight. I want to fight when the title will be ready.”

However, Procházka also suggested he’d be willing to contest a title eliminator should the champion require a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Given Teixeira’s shoulder injury and targeted April/May 2022 timeframe, “Denisa” could well find himself in action once more before staking his claim for the 205-pound throne.

“If there will be a long time to wait for the title chance, maybe I will take somebody around, from the top five. But, everybody knows about me, and in the UFC they spoke about me and my title chance. So, I don’t wanna think about it more. I just wanna know, ‘Okay, you have a fight. Just be ready, be prepared.’ I don’t want to speak about that and just talking. I just want to fight some logic(al) fight; what is good for me, and that’s all.”

If Procházka’s third walk to the Octagon is to face another contender, the logical opponent will be Aleksandar Raki?. The Austrian boasts a 6-1 UFC record. His only defeat in the promotion was a controversial decision loss to Oezdemir, a result most fans and pundits disagreed with.

After entering the division’s top three with a win against Thiago Santos earlier this year, “Rocket” has repeatedly called for a number one contender’s clash with Procházka. Raki? even recently claimed he’d been offered the matchup by the UFC, suggesting his fellow European must have turned down the clash. “Denisa” responded by branding the #3-ranked contender a “liar.”

Would you rather see Ji?í Procházka fight for the belt next or face Aleksandar Raki? in a title eliminator?

Continue Reading Procházka: I’d Accept A Top-5 Opponent If Title Fight Will Be A Long Wait at MMA News.

Glover Teixeira Targets April/May Title Defense Against Ji?í Procházka

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Glover Teixeira has suggested his likely title defense against Ji?í Procházka will take place in either April or May next year.

Defying the odds and Father Time, Teixeira had UFC gold wrapped around his waist at the a…

Ji?í Procházka, Glover Teixeira

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Glover Teixeira has suggested his likely title defense against Ji?í Procházka will take place in either April or May next year.

Defying the odds and Father Time, Teixeira had UFC gold wrapped around his waist at the age of 42 last month. At UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi, the Brazilian faced Jan Blachowicz in the main event. Despite many expecting the veteran to fall short against the Polish powerhouse, Teixeira dominated a short fight, submitting the 38-year-old with a second-round rear-naked choke.

The victory saw Teixeira join the great Randy Couture in the post-40 champions club, something “The Natural” had predicted pre-UFC 267. The Brazilian’s title crowning also saw a remarkable resurgence and winning streak culminate in him securing his seat on the 205-pound throne for the first time.

Teixeira Targets First Defense For Second Quarter Of 2022

While many, including Blachowicz, had expected Teixeira’s career to come to a close with a defeat inside the Etihad Arena, the champion is now looking forward to his first title defense. The leading contender is undoubtedly Ji?í Procházka.

The Czech knockout artist arrived in the UFC last year after accumulating a devastating 26-3 record, which included 23 knockouts. In two Octagon appearances, “Denisa” has added brutal KOs of former title challengers Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes to his résumé.

During a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, Teixeira said that he believes Procházka will be the man standing opposite him for his first title defense next year.

“Yeah, I think so (Ji?í is next in line). For me, it doesn’t matter, you know. I’m a fighter, I’m always a fighter. I want always to fight the champion. I’m fighting whoever is coming my way. Ji?í is supposed to be the next guy, he was there (UFC 267) cutting weight, waiting for that title. He’s supposed to be the next guy.”

After winning the belt at UFC 267, Teixeira found himself with a six-month medical suspension due to an injury to his right shoulder. After confirming that he’s likely pulled a muscle, the champ announced his intention to rest and recuperate over the coming months, before returning to action in the second quarter of 2022.

“I have a minor injury in the shoulder. I went to just look at it today. Doctor says it’s pretty cool, it’s probably just a pulled muscle. But you know man, April/May next year. Hang out to see, chill, relax. I need a little rest on my body. Come back next year and start training”

How do you think a light heavyweight title fight between champion Glover Teixeira and Ji?í Procházka would play out?

Continue Reading Glover Teixeira Targets April/May Title Defense Against Ji?í Procházka at MMA News.

Ji?í Procházka Blasts ‘Liar’ Aleksandar Rakic For Fight Offer Claim

UFC light heavyweight contender Ji?í Procházka denied Aleksandar Rakic’s recent claims that he turned down a No. 1 contender fight with him.

Procházka served as the UFC 267 backup fighter for Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira and was in attendance…

Jiri Prochazka Aleksandar Rakic

UFC light heavyweight contender Ji?í Procházka denied Aleksandar Rakic’s recent claims that he turned down a No. 1 contender fight with him.

Procházka served as the UFC 267 backup fighter for Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira and was in attendance to watch Teixeira pull off the massive upset over Blachowicz in the main event. He’s expected to be next in line for the title against Teixeira.

However, Rakic has recently claimed that Procházka was offered a top contender fight with him, a fight in which Prochazka allegedly turned down. UFC President Dana White has remained non-committal on Procházka’s status as the top contender, which has opened the conversation up to a possible fight with Rakic.

It all started when Rakic posted a tweet stating that Procházka had been offered a fight with him.

“If he’s getting the title shot, why did the UFC offer me two days ago to fight him for a #1 contender fight?”

Jiri Procházka Denies Aleksandar Rakic’s No. 1 Contender Fight Claim

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Procházka cleared the air on Rakic’s claims.

“I’m a little bit disappointed in [Rakic’s claims], because my coach, he showed me that tweet before, and that’s, man, this is so disrespectful,” Procházka said. “That’s bad. And the information, that the UFC offered him that fight, that’s not true. That’s not true. I have it from my guys, from my manager, who’s speaking with the UFC, and they said that’s not true what he wrote.”

“That’s showing he’s just a liar,” Procházka continued. “The first step, in my opinion, is I need to keep my word when I stepped into the UFC. I want to go to the title in the shortest way that I can. So that’s my first target.”

Rakic most recently defeated former UFC title challengers Thiago Santos and Anthony Smith in back-to-back fights. Procházka has entered the UFC unscathed, with knockout wins over Dominick Reyes and Volkan Oezdemir.

A No. 1 contender fight between Procházka and Rakic would certainly make sense, but it remains to be seen which direction the UFC brass will ultimately go with the light heavyweight title picture.

Should Jiri Procházka get the next title shot over Aleksandar Rakic?

Continue Reading Ji?í Procházka Blasts ‘Liar’ Aleksandar Rakic For Fight Offer Claim at MMA News.

Jan Blachowicz Wants To Face ‘Crazy Fighter’ Jiri Prochazka In Europe

Jan BlachowiczJan Blachowicz is excited about the prospect of facing one of the hottest contenders in the sport, Jiri Prochazka. The UFC Light Heavyweight champion wants the fight to be a headliner in Europe and expects that it can be done. Blachowicz had nothing but praise for the former Rizin Light Heavyweight champion, citing his unique […]

Jan Blachowicz

Jan Blachowicz is excited about the prospect of facing one of the hottest contenders in the sport, Jiri Prochazka. The UFC Light Heavyweight champion wants the fight to be a headliner in Europe and expects that it can be done.

Blachowicz had nothing but praise for the former Rizin Light Heavyweight champion, citing his unique and erratic fighting style and his impressive two-fight run in the UFC thus far.

“Great run for him,” Blachowicz said about Prochazka when speaking to MMA Fighting. “He’s a crazy fighter but in a good way. Crazy, weird style but he knows how to use it. I believe I will fight against Glover and then maybe in the future with Jiri, but somewhere in Europe.

“If I have to fight Jiri, we have to do it in Poland or somewhere in Europe, because all of Europe would like to come and see this fight live. First of all, I have to beat Glover. The focus is on him. I hope so nothing will change cause when I beat Glover, maybe my next opponent will be Jiri, but this fight has to not be in Abu Dhabi, not in USA, in Europe.”

Both Blachowicz and Prochazka hail from neighboring European countries, Poland and the Czech Republic, and the prospect of building that fight in a major European stadium is extremely realistic.

Jan Blachowicz Wants To Main Event In Poland

“If this fight will happen, I hope it will be in Poland in the national stadium — 60,000 people will come to watch this fight,” Blachowicz said.

In terms of how the fight would play out stylistically, Blachowicz admits it would be a good fight with Jiri’s interesting style in the octagon.

“Weird style, crazy style, nice to watch,” Blachowicz said. “Against me, I think it’s going to be a good fight. Maybe in the future, we will see.

“I’m very excited because we still have good fighters, young fighters. They come to the UFC and they motivate me to go to the gym and train hard. I want to say thanks to Jiri, thanks to [Aleksandr] Rakic because they motivate me to be the champion. To go and train hard.”

It seems like these two light heavyweights are on a collision course in the future. No doubt this fight would be huge and could headline anywhere in the world.

When do we see Jan Blachowicz vs Jiri Prochazka? Who wins?

Jan Blachowicz Pitches Procházka vs. Raki? Title Eliminator

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz has suggested the next number one contender should be determined by a fight between Ji?í Procházka and Aleksandar Raki?. Blachowicz has held the 205-pound gold for over a year. He won the belt at UFC 253 last September by defeating Dominick Reyes with a second-round TKO. After Jon Jones […]

Continue Reading Jan Blachowicz Pitches Procházka vs. Raki? Title Eliminator at MMA News.

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz has suggested the next number one contender should be determined by a fight between Ji?í Procházka and Aleksandar Raki?.

Blachowicz has held the 205-pound gold for over a year. He won the belt at UFC 253 last September by defeating Dominick Reyes with a second-round TKO. After Jon Jones vacated the strap earlier in 2020, the Polish powerhouse’s crowning marked the first post-Jones champion.

After upsetting the odds against “The Devastator,” Blachowicz found himself branded as the underdog for his first title defense. At UFC 259 in March this year, UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya looked to become the latest simultaneous two-division champ by dethroning Blachowicz. However, after five rounds, the 38-year-old was awarded a comfortable unanimous decision win over “The Last Stylebender”.

After batting away the challenge from below, Blachowicz will now face a title challenge from within his division’s roster for the first time. In the main event of UFC 267 this weekend, the champion will defend his title against #1-ranked light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira. The Brazilian veteran will be looking to join Randy Couture in the post-40 champions club with a victory this weekend. Come fight night in Abu Dhabi, Teixeira will be 42 years old.

Blachowicz Plays Matchmaker

Blachowicz is visibly confident about his chances of emerging from the Etihad Arena on Saturday with the 205-pound gold still wrapped around his waist. While showing respect to his opponent, and acknowledging the threat he possesses, the champ suggested he’ll be knocking Teixeira into retirement on October 30.

With that in mind, the Polish star recently looked ahead to what could be next for him following this week’s non-pay-per-view numbered event. During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Blachowicz jumped into the shoes of Sean Shelby. He said that if he was a matchmaker, he’d be pairing #2-ranked Ji?í Procházka and #3-ranked Aleksandar Raki? together for a title eliminator.

“If I was the matchmaker, but I’m not, but I would do Ji?í against Raki?, and the winner of this fight next for me or next contender for the title shot… but they send me contract and I sign it and fight, because I don’t like to choose opponents. Never do this before and I don’t want to do this.”

In just two Octagon outings, Procházka has burst onto the UFC scene and announced himself as a light heavyweight title contender. The Czech star headed into his promotional debut last summer on a 10-fight win streak and with 25 knockouts in 28 professional wins. He showed exactly why he was so highly touted when he brutally KO’d Volkan Oezdemir on Fight Island. His second fight ended in a similar fashion. In the UFC Vegas 25 main event, “Denisa” slept Reyes with a vicious spinning back elbow.

Raki?, meanwhile, has been in the UFC since 2017. Aside from a controversial split decision loss to Oezdemir, the Austrian has won all of his fights in the UFC. Had he defeated the Swiss contender, the 29-year-old would be unbeaten since his MMA debut loss in 2011. Consecutive victories over Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos have brought him into title contention.

Who would you like to see Jan Blachowicz face if he defeats Glover Teixeira at UFC 267?

Continue Reading Jan Blachowicz Pitches Procházka vs. Raki? Title Eliminator at MMA News.

Reyes Says He Knocked Procházka Out Fully In May Bout

Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes says he knocked Ji?í Procházka out cold in their main event bout at UFC Vegas 25. Having gone 12-0 in his career, a record which included UFC wins over Jared Cannonier, Volkan Oezdemir, and Chris Weidman, Reyes fell to his first career defeat in a controversial decision […]

Continue Reading Reyes Says He Knocked Procházka Out Fully In May Bout at MMA News.

Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes says he knocked Ji?í Procházka out cold in their main event bout at UFC Vegas 25.

Having gone 12-0 in his career, a record which included UFC wins over Jared Cannonier, Volkan Oezdemir, and Chris Weidman, Reyes fell to his first career defeat in a controversial decision loss against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones.

After “Bones” relinquished the belt to pursue a move to heavyweight, most expected “The Devastator” to have the vacant 205-pound gold wrapped around his waist when he faced Jan Blachowicz at UFC 253. Instead, Reyes was finished in the second round, succumbing him to a two-fight losing skid.

After over seven months away from the cage, Reyes hoped to return to title contention with an impressive performance against relative newcomer Procházka. Despite putting on a Fight of the Year contender alongside the Czech powerhouse, it was “Denisa” who had his hand raised via knockout.

While he may have secured a remarkable spinning back elbow KO, many in the MMA community pointed out that Procházka appeared to be hurt by a Reyes upkick prior to the fight-ending sequence.

During an interview with Combat Sports on Fanatics View, Reyes suggested that the #2-ranked light heavyweight was completely unconscious following the kick. The 31-year-old said Procházka’s dead weight prevented him from taking advantage of the quick KO.

“Yeah, I upkicked him really hard, and he went out fully. And I knew he was out, but I couldn’t move properly because of the way he fell on me. It made it so I couldn’t advance position or take advantage of it. But hey, man, the guy’s fuckin’ a beast. He did his thing. For me to fight guys like Ji?i is everything, man. I’m trying to fight the best guys in the world and guys that are good human beings, that are down with the cause. He’s a samurai, man. He’s got the warrior spirit all the way around. And I got nothing but respect for the guy.”

Speaking about the entire fight, Reyes suggested he knew the matchup would be an exciting back-and-forth affair when the pair stood face-to-face ahead of the headlining bout.

“It’s one of those things where we looked at each other in the pre-fight face-off, and I knew it was gonna be a great fight, man. I was looking him in the eyes, and we’re just standing there looking at each other, and I’m like, yeah, this is gonna be freakin’ awesome, man. We’re not gonna quit. I knew I (wasn’t) gonna quit. Looking in his eyes, I knew he’s not ever gonna quit. And I was like, ‘Hell yeah,  this is gonna be a good fight.’ That’s what I’m looking for, man,, those guys that are willing to die for it.”

Despite only making two appearances inside the Octagon, brutal KO victories over Oezdemir and Reyes have ascended Procházka to just one spot behind top contender Glover Teixeira. The Brazilian veteran is in fine form and will challenge for the title in the UFC 267 main event later this month.

While the likes of Thiago Santos and Aleksandar Raki? have pushed for a booking with the Czech star, Procházka has made his intentions clear. He’ll serve as the backup fighter for Blachowicz’s second title defense on October 30, and anticipates a championship fight against the victor in 2022.

Do you think Ji?í Procházka should face the winner of Blachowicz vs. Teixeira for the light heavyweight gold?

Continue Reading Reyes Says He Knocked Procházka Out Fully In May Bout at MMA News.