"I needed to upgrade my style"- Jiri Prochazka previews the challenges that Alex Pereira presents at UFC 295
Jiri Prochazka recently weighed in on his upcoming light heavyweight title contest against Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden in New York City this weekend.
Prochazka will be returning to action after an extended hiatus, having last defeated Glover Teixeira via fifth-round submission at UFC 275 in June 2022 to win the 205-pound strap. While preparing for their rematch, 'Denisa' suffered a nasty shoulder injury that forced him to the sidelines for over a year.
Jiri Prochazka vacated the light heavyweight championship in November 2022 as a result. Jamahal Hill later defeated Glover Teixeira to win the vacant title at UFC 283 earlier this year, only to suffer the same fate as the Czech fighter. He also vacated the title shortly after picking up a long-term injury.
With Alex Pereira's light heavyweight debut marked by a statement victory over former champion Jan Blachowicz, it was an easy decision to book the Brazilian against 'Denisa' for a light heavyweight title fight. Given their resumes, many eagerly look forward to seeing them clash in the octagon.
In a recent interview with TNT Sports, Jiri Prochazka was asked what challenges 'Poatan' presented for him. He replied:
"Alex is a great opponent and I'm very grateful for this opponent because he's very good at the standup. He has a special spirit, like a warrior spirit, and his mastery in his field, like standup style, every time keeps me in the preparation... That's somebody who I want to defeat with my style. And because of him, I needed to upgrade my style."
Catch Prochazka's comments below (6:45):
Robert Whittaker backs Jiri Prochazka to beat Alex Pereira at UFC 295
Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker recently shared his two cents on the Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira title fight. While 'The Reaper' appreciates both fighters' skillsets, he predicts a victory for the former light heavyweight champion.
The Czech native has a professional record of 29-3-1, with 25 of those wins coming via knockout. Similarly, Pereira's record of 8-2 is marked by 6 knockout victories. With both men having a penchant for knocking their opponents out, it's unsurprising that MMA fans are excited for this matchup.
In a recent episode of the MMArcade Podcast, Robert Whittaker backed Jiri Prochazka to win and said:
"Jiri has the uncanny ability to find the win in these fights. In these harder fights, he looks to be outclassed, but he finds the wins... I'm very curious to see how this fight plays out."
Catch Whittaker's comments below (15:20):