Chael Sonnen gives Jiri Prochazka "first five minutes" to secure win against Glover Teixeira
Jiri Prochazka gets his first shot at UFC gold when he faces Glover Teixeira tonight. If the Czech fighter wants to win the belt, he has to do it within the first five minutes, according to Chael Sonnen.
In his most recent YouTube video, ‘The American Gangster’ discussed the UFC 275 headline bout. Sonnen pointed out that the Brazilian champion is much older than Prochazka, who is an unorthodox striker. The challenger's style is unique because the Czech comes at his opponents from various angles and strikes with power. Sonnen said:
“Prochazka has some interesting striking. It comes from different angles, and he generates a ton of power. The other side to Prochazka is if he doesn’t get it done in the first five minutes, his chances of getting it done at all greatly diminishes.”
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However, according to Sonnen, this approach puts 'Denisa' at risk as he becomes susceptible to counter shots. 'The Bad Guy' stated that no chin is infallible:
“Prochazka cannot take one on the chin from Glover any better than anybody else can just because he’s won 24 of his last 25 fights. Ain’t got nothing to do with it. His chin is his chin.”
Watch Chael Sonnen talk about Prochazka’s need to win in the first five minutes:
Sonnen went on to state that Teixeira can be efficient with his energy, something that can’t be said about the Czech fighter based on his previous bouts.
Prochazka has a 28-3-1 record and currently enjoys a 12-fight win streak, which began back in 2016. It started with 'Denisa' defeating Japanese MMA legend Kazuyuki Fujita at RIZIN 1 by first-round knockout. Of his 28 wins, only one opponent has survived to hear the final bell.
Watch Prochazka vs. Fujita below:
Jiri Prochazka on what he thinks is the biggest threat from Glover Teixeira
During the UFC 275 weigh-in show, Prochazka took the time to talk about a wide variety of topics. He detailed his experience of fighting in Japan, his upcoming championship scrap, and his motivation for fighting.
At one point, Jiri Prochazka was asked what he thinks is the biggest threat from the reigning champion. The Czech replied:
“I think that his biggest strength, and the biggest weakness, is his pressure. He’s doing the press all the time, and if you come with that you can wait for him in that [makes the uppercut gesture]. But if you are... if you catch some punches, then it’s very hard... he keep going, still keep going. I think that’s his biggest weapon.”
Watch Jiri Prochazka talk about Glover Teixeira's strengths in the video below:
The pressure has worked for Teixeira, who has finished his opponents 28 times, 18 via knockout and 10 by submission.