Jiri Prochazka's statement after Jan Blachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev split draw leaves belt vacant
Jiri Prochazka was understandably extremely disappointed that he did not get to carry out the main event duties for UFC 282. Nonetheless, the now-former champion kept a close watch on the hotly contested fight between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev.
Prochazka vacated his 205-pound title due to a severe shoulder injury, according to Dana White, who first confirmed the news to ESPN MMA. The 30-year-old was supposed to defend his title against Glover Teixeira but decided to vanquish his throne bearing in mind the time he will be spending in rehabilitation.
UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka has vacated his 205-pound championship after suffering a severe shoulder injury, UFC president Dana White told @bokamotoESPN https://t.co/YUEIxBeryQ
Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev fought to a split draw in the main event of UFC 282. The controversial decision was only the fifth draw in the history of the UFC.
Jan Błachowicz v Magomed Ankalaev ends in a SPLIT DRAW!
No new champion will be crowned in the UFC light heavyweight division.
It's just the fifth draw in UFC championship history.
#UFC282 https://t.co/Un5H6mZCCM
Jiri Prochazka took to Twitter to share his immediate thoughts on the fight and remind the MMA world "who the champion is":
"I just watched the "title" Fight. Everyone knows who the Champion is. Just give me some time."
Check out his tweet below:
I just watched the "title" Fight.
Everyone knows who the Champion is.
Just give me some time.
⚡️🙏⚡️
Earlier this year at UFC 275, Prochazka went to war with Glover Teixeira in a fight for the ages. 'Denisa' won the fight when he submitted Teixeira in the fifth round of the thrilling clash in Singapore. The fight also won the Fight of the Year award at the recently concluded 14th annual World MMA Awards.
What did Dana White tell Jiri Prochazka when he injured his shoulder?
Jiri Prochazka planned to fight on the UFC 282 card despite a horrific shoulder injury, according to UFC President Dana White. It took the UFC head honcho to persuade 'Denisa' to deal with the injury in a sensible way when he got the news.
Apparently, when Prochazka's coaches attempted to perform some do-it-yourself repairs on the already injured shoulder, the damage became significantly worse.
Prochazka is now spending time recovering from the surgery with a return to competition as the ultimate goal.
Detailing the conversation he had with Prochazka when he received the word in a recent appearance on Chatting Pony with Paddy Pimblett, White stated:
"I tell you, I told him, I tell all the fighters: if anything happens to you, jump in a f**king car and go to the hospital. We will pay for everything. People think that these guys at the gym can fix your shoulder. Don’t even risk it. Just go to the hospital.”
Catch Dana White's appearance on Pimblett's podcast below: