UFC fans troll Jiri Procházka for releasing questionable training footage post shoulder surgery
Jiri Procházka hasn't set foot inside the octagon in almost a year. His last appearance was on June 11, 2022 when he faced Glover Teixeira in one of the greatest fights in UFC light heavyweight history. Unfortunately, after the Czech samurai dethroned the Brazilian to capture 205 lbs gold, he injured himself.
A severe injury on Procházka's right shoulder forced him to relinquish his claim to the light heavyweight title. Since then, 'Denisa' has spent time recovering and training. He recently posted footage of himself doing some light padwork on Twitter. However, the former champion's form seemed questionable.
The thread in the tweet below showcases the mixed reaction that the former champion's padwork drew.
Jiri is back to training. https://t.co/e7OS2816zw
This led several fans to ridicule Jiri Procházka's training footage with numerous comments under the post, which was shared by Spinning Backfist.
@SpinninBackfist The masculine urge to criticize a world champion’s pad work
@SpinninBackfist Looks so weak lmaooo Hill gonna floor him 💀
@SpinninBackfist Hill watching this like: https://t.co/1gbsisLSkX
@SpinninBackfist And people think mma fighters can beat boxers lol
@SpinninBackfist Punching like Stephen A Smith
@SpinninBackfist He’s got such a weird hook man
Arms almost fully extended
@SpinninBackfist jamahal beats the breaks off him
@SpinninBackfist yea this guy is getting nuked by jamahal
@SpinninBackfist @AlexPereiraUFC this is Alex lunch money #poatan
While several fans decided to troll the former UFC light heavyweight champion, others came out in his defense and pointed out that 'Denisa' is recovering from major shoulder surgery.
@ReecesEra @SpinninBackfist I think he just got done with shoulder surgery
@SpinninBackfist Didn’t he have a horrible shoulder injury.? After something like that you need to relearn how to do certain motions. I’ve had 2 shoulder surgeries myself and I can never throw a ball like I used too. Can only imagine throwing punches
@SpinninBackfist That right shoulder is definitely still giving him issues
Regardless of the fan reaction, Jiri Procházka does not yet seem ready to make a full return to the octagon. The former UFC titleholder recently had a cage-side face-off with Jamahal Hill at UFC 285 when Jon Jones returned to defeat Ciryl Gane and claim the promotion's vacant heavyweight title.
How did Jiri Procházka injure his shoulder?
UFC 282 was originally scheduled to be headlined by a highly anticipated rematch between Jiri Procházka and Glover Teixeira. The pair previously clashed at UFC 275 for the light heavyweight crown. In what was later voted the Fight of the Year in 2022, 'Denisa' emerged victorious after a fifth-round submission win.
While an immediate rematch was booked, Jiri Procházka unfortunately injured his shoulder during training, which forced him to vacate his title. While his shoulder wasn't in the greatest condition prior, the Czech samurai described the true cause of the devastating injury.
Jiri Prochazka has vacated his 205-pound belt after suffering a severe shoulder injury.
- Per UFC president Dana White https://t.co/fQfmNYJpgm
During a light training session, his sparring partner secured a back-take and executed a suplex, causing him to land on his shoulder. It caused his shoulder to pop out, but a training partner managed to pop his shoulder back into his socket before Procházka and his team headed to the hospital.
The injury led to a different main event at UFC 282 as Glover Teixeira refused to face Magomed Ankalaev as a short-notice replacement. Instead, the Dagestani 205'er faced Jan Jan Błachowicz in a bout that was controversially declared a draw.