"The best, until now" - Chael Sonnen claims Jiri Prochazka vs. Glover Teixeira now the greatest light heavyweight fight of all time, no longer Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson 1
Chael Sonnen has asserted that Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira's UFC 275 matchup is now the greatest light heavyweight fight of all time. The fight witnessed Prochazka submit Teixeira in the closing seconds of the fifth and final round to become the new UFC light heavyweight champion.
In an edition of Beyond the Fight, Sonnen opined that the Prochazka-Teixeira thriller was even better than two of the best light heavyweight title fights in UFC history. The fights in question are the grueling 2015 showdown between Alexander Gustafsson and Daniel Cormier, and the legendary 2013 matchup between Gustafsson and Jon Jones. Sonnen stated:
“I think Glover was 30 seconds away from not only an incredible fight – That’s the greatest light heavyweight fight I’ve ever seen. Any of you like to disagree? I’ve seen some good ones. Gustafsson vs. Cormier was a great one. Gustafsson vs. Jon Jones part one, the best, until now. That [Teixeira vs. Prochazka] is now the best light heavyweight fight that I have ever seen.”
@Jiri_BJP is the LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION! #UFC275JIRI PROCHAZKA TAPS OUT GLOVER TEIXEIRA! 🤯
🇨🇿🏆 @Jiri_BJP is the LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION! #UFC275 https://t.co/XUE1cV4dxr
Chael Sonnen highlighted that at a significantly late stage in his career, this was Teixeira’s first opportunity to shine as a defending champion and main event star. ‘The Bad Guy’ added that Teixeira almost pulled off a fairytale ending, as he was already ahead on the judges’ scorecards and was winning the fifth round too until he was submitted.
Additionally, Sonnen indicated that most experts felt it’d be highly unlikely for Jiri Prochazka to beat Glover Teixeira via submission, and it would be the BJJ savant who would probably submit Prochazka. 'The Bad Guy' proceeded to emphasize that Prochazka's submission of Teixeira was a truly stunning finish to their epic fight.
Watch Sonnen discuss the Prochazka-Teixeira fight in the video below:
Glover Teixeira lobbies for a rematch with Jiri Prochazka, as ‘BJP’ looks to fight Jan Blachowicz next
Following his back-and-forth fight with Jiri Prochazka, Glover Teixeira took to Twitter to suggest that he’d like to face ‘BJP’ in an immediate rematch. Teixeira tweeted:
"Rematch?? @jiri_bjp @danawhite @ufc"
Rematch?? @jiri_bjp @danawhite @ufc
Meanwhile, Jan Blachowicz, the former UFC light heavyweight champion from Poland, called for Czech Republic’s Jiri Prochazka to defend the light heavyweight belt against him in Europe. Blachowicz tweeted:
"Jiri, let's do this! The Battle for Europe. The biggest fight in the Continent's history. @jiri_bjp @ufc @UFCEurope #UFC275"
Jiri, let's do this! The Battle for Europe. The biggest fight in the Continent's history. @jiri_bjp @ufc @UFCEurope #UFC275
Furthermore, it’s believed that the winner of the upcoming UFC 277 matchup between Magomed Ankalaev and Anthony Smith could possibly receive the next title shot against Jiri Prochazka. His next opponent is yet to be officially announced, however, ‘BJP’ himself is now campaigning for a fight against Blachowicz in Europe.
#UFC275Looks like @Jiri_BJP has his eyes set on his first title challenger 👀 #UFC275 https://t.co/ydMTYzqWng