Jiri Prochazka addresses 'early stoppage' claims with a class act after title loss to Alex Pereira
Jiri Prochazka has addressed 'early stoppage' claims following a TKO defeat at the hands of Alex Pereira.
Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira locked horns at the Madison Square Garden in New York for the highly anticipated vacant UFC light heavyweight championship.
While 'Denisa' started the fight on the front foot and employed a pressure-based approach, 'Poatan' was able to compromise Prochazka's movement after a few leg kicks.
In the second round, both fighters started to take their chances. The duo traded blows and Pereira caught Prochazka with his signature left hook and dropped him. 'Poatan' then followed up with a flurry of punches, and the referee decided to intervene and stop the fight.
As soon as the fight was stopped, many appeared to be unhappy with the stoppage including Joe Rogan, Daniel Cormier, and Jon Anik, who were commentating on the fight.
However, addressing the early stoppage claims during the post-fight interview with Rogan, Jiri Prochazka suggested that the referee intervened at the right moment. He said:
"I think. in the end, it was right. I was out"
Catch his comments in the clip below:
Alex Pereira calls out Israel Adesanya following his win over Jiri Prochazka
After securing an impressive victory over Jiri Prochazka, it looks like Alex Pereira wants to face his old nemesis inside the octagon. During the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, 'Poatan' called out Israel Adesanya and urged him to fight him in the light heavyweight division.
It is worth noting that Pereira and Adesanya have fought each other four times in the past. They have competed against each other twice during their kickboxing days, when the Brazilian won both fights and twice in the UFC. Their first fight in the MMA promotion took place last year at UFC 281 when 'Poatan' became the new middleweight champion by stopping 'The Last Stylebender' in the fifth round.
The two fought again at UFC 287, and this time around, Israel Adesanya was able to avenge his loss in emphatic fashion. After this fight, Pereira moved up to the light heavyweight division and wants to face Adesanya again.