SUMMARY
- Previously, Jiri Prochazka had to later vacate the title due to suffering an injury to his right shoulder and being out of action for over a year.
- In a recent podcast with Ariel Helwani, Jiri Prochazka revealed a crucial detail that may have cost him the fight.
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jiri Prochazka has been a reckoning force since his debut in the organization at UFC 251. He was able to secure the title after just three fights in the UFC at UFC 275 against Glover Teixeira. He also finished all three of his fights and was awarded two performance of the night and two fight of the night bonuses in the process.
The Czech fighter had to later vacate the title due to suffering an injury to his right shoulder and being out of action for over a year. He would later return at UFC 295 to fight for the vacant Light Heavyweight title against former Middleweight Champion Alex Pereira. Jiri would end up losing the fight in the second round via TKO.
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In a recent podcast with sports analyst Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, Jiri Prochazka revealed a crucial detail that may have cost him the fight. The No. 2 ranked light heavyweight shared that he was suffering from a staph infection that began in his leg and spread to his ear. This would be a month before he headlined UFC 295, which caused him to train only one week of the five towards the bout.
This, he said, immensely affected his preparation and overall performance against Pereira. He further shared that he would be working harder and improving upon his mistakes in his upcoming fight, which would be against light heavyweight Aleksandar Rakić at the historic UFC 300.
Aleksandar Rakic exposes one major hole in Jiri Prochazka’s game
After the announcement by UFC President Dana White for the return of No. 5 ranked light heavyweight Aleksandar Rakic against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 300, fans are eager to see the Austrian back in action. Rakic last fought in the octagon against former Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Błachowicz at UFC Vegas 54. He lost the match due to a knee injury and was unable to continue.
It was later revealed that he had injured his knee three weeks before the fight during sparring. After over one and a half years of layoffs, Aleksandar Rakic is confident that his return will have an impact. In his recent appearance on the MMA Hour, he shared his thoughts on his long-awaited rival, Prochazka, and what he thought about their upcoming bout.
He stated, “I wouldn’t say his chin is weak, but he feels the punches differently than, for example, me. This is one of the holes, to be in every single fight almost losing”. Jiri’s defense and chin durability were questioned by Rakic, and he believes this would be the Czech’s biggest weakness against him, which he plans to exploit in the octagon.