Jiri Prochazka STUNNED To Discover Having His Hands Up Benefited His Defense During UFC 320 Win
Jiri Prochazka followed up his incredible knockout of Khalil Rountree Jr. with some hilarious analysis in his post-fight press conference.
“I started to believe in my defense, in [keeping] my hands up. Man, I didn’t understand that that works! Hands up and head movement. It’s the first time I connected them together, and it worked!”
As a reminder, this is the former UFC light heavyweight champion admitting that he didn’t think having a high guard and using head movement was an effective form of defense in MMA.
Who am I to judge? Prochazka got the job done once again with a fantastic knockout against Rountree Jr. in the third and final round. It was a finish that he desperately needed, after having lost the first two rounds of the fight on the judges’ scorecards.
Jiri Prochazka’s Head Movement
Jiri Prochazka displayed impressive head movement in the final round as he pressed forward for the finish. Fighting in the pocket is where the Czech fighter excels, as he possesses tremendous power in his hands (and elbows), he is quick to slip oncoming punches, and, even if he does get hit, he has a strong chin. It seems that he needs a fight to be a war to perform at his best.
Did Jiri Prochazka Keep His Hands Up?
Regarding Prochazka’s comments about his hands being up, I have yet to see this from him for sustained periods of a fight. Even in the final round, in which he dominated Rountree Jr, there was no high guard from the fighter. Prochazka’s chin remained open for counters numerous times, with his hands habitually remaining down by his waist.
It was the chaos he created and the unrelenting barrage of attacks at a high pace that won the fight for him. Rountree Jr.’s gas tank looked depleted at this stage, whilst Prochazka, on the other hand, looked as if he was just getting started. The bombardment of punches and elbows eventually proved too much for the American to handle, falling to the canvas, defeated, midway through the final round.
