Jiri Prochazka admits that he was knocked out momentarily during UFC Vegas 26 win over Dominick Reyes
The UFC's latest breakout star, light heavyweight striker Jiri Prochazka, recently put on an impressive performance against Dominick Reyes that earned him both performance and fight of the night honors.
The dynamic Czech fighter went back forth with Reyes, with both men having moments of success in the first and second rounds. However, it was Prochazka who emerged victorious, knocking out Reyes with a spinning elbow in the second round.
Was Prochazka Knocked Out Himself?
No one could deny Prochazka the win, it was a masterful finish that left Reyes face down on the canvas. However, there was a moment in the second round that no doubt had fans of the Czech martial artist worried, as Reyes lashed out with up kicks from his back, appearing to catch Prochazka.
Prochazka's body went limp momentarily, before he promptly postured up and continued landing ground and pound. Now with the fight firmly in the rear view mirror, Prochazka has discussed how hurt he was in that moment.
Speaking with Michael Bisping and Luis J. Gomez on the Believe You Me podcast, Prochazka revealed that Reyes actually knocked him unconscious for a few seconds. He stated the following:
"And the second situation that was the kick from the ground to my head, that was a knockout. That was a knockout but nobody knows that. I was, for one of two seconds, out. I was out. I was just.. leaning on him, just to take some, one, two, three seconds, to take a breath. Ok where I am, here, yeah what now."
What's Next For Prochazka?
Following his victory over Reyes, Prochazka was told by Paul Felder in a post-fight interview that he would be next for a title shot, once current champion Jan Balchowicz and number one contender Glover Teixeira have resolved their fight.
Aleksander Rakic will likely have a dispute with this as the Austrian fighter is coming off back-to-back wins over former title contenders Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos. A number one contender fight may well be what's in store for the two European mixed martial artists next.
However, Prochazka has stated that securing the light heavyweight belt is not his key priority. In his post-fight press conference, Prochazka reinforced the idea that his focus is on improving himself as a martial artist rather than picking up belts and accolades. He explained:
"What's important is the journey - to enjoy the tough opponents, to enjoy sharing the cage with hard opponents, and that's why I like it."