"I said what I said" - Jiri Prochazka reflects on loss against Alex Pereira at UFC 295, blames "early stoppage" after review
Jiri Prochazka, fresh off his victory over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 300, has changed his tune regarding the stoppage in his light heavyweight title fight against Alex Pereira last November. Prochazka, previously undefeated in the UFC, suffered a TKO defeat in the second round after a vicious left hook from Pereira.
The fight, which took place at UFC 295, was a highly anticipated clash for the vacant championship. Prochazka initially appeared to be in control, pressuring Pereira with his aggressive style. However, Pereira's leg kicks began to wear down Prochazka's movement.
In the second round, the fight took a dramatic turn. Pereira landed his signature left hook, sending Prochazka crashing to the canvas. A flurry of punches followed, prompting referee Marc Goddard to intervene and stop the fight.
The stoppage was met with controversy, with commentators Joe Rogan, Daniel Cormier, and Jon Anik expressing that Prochazka might have been able to recover. During the immediate post-fight interview, Prochazka himself seemed to agree with the stoppage, stating:
"I think... in the end, it was right. I was out."
However, with time for reflection and a potential rematch looming, Prochazka now suggests the stoppage may have been premature. In a recent interview with Michael Bisping, Prochazka acknowledged his initial stance but offered a different perspective.
"I said what I said, and that was right in that time. But when you see that many times and when the people asked me for that many times, and especially when I saw that fight, I had to say it was an early stoppage."
Check out Jiri Prochazka's comments below (11:09):
Jiri Prochazka wants a rematch with champ Alex Pereria at UFC 301
Jiri Prochazka wasted no time in making his next move after his dominant win at UFC 300. Fresh off a come-from-behind TKO victory over Aleksandar Rakic, Prochazka set his sights on regaining the light-heavyweight title he lost to Alex Pereira in November 2023.
On The MMA Hour, he expressed his willingness to travel to Pereira's home country of Brazil on short notice, even suggesting a fight date in just two weeks:
"As soon as possible. If that will be for a title with Alex [Pereira], I am open to take a date in Brazil... Yeah, like in two weeks... I had a full training camp before this fight and this training camp was much more; for me, it was like [laughs] I trained much more [against Rakic] than for the fight with Pereira.For Pereira, I trained [laughs] just almost just six days or one week. Yeah because there was a lot of struggles and all these staph infections and antibiotics. Doesn't matter."
Check out Jiri Prochazka's comments below: