“Not to repeat the mistakes from the past,” Jiri Prochazka Offers Life Lesssons While Reflecting Last UFC Fight Bout
Jiri Prochazka is done dwelling on the past.
After coming up short against Alex Pereira twice, ‘BJP’ appeared to be in light heavyweight limbo. However, a sensational come-from-behind KO against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 321 has seemingly changed everything.
Prochazka’s highlight-reel finish has him neck-and-neck with ex-titleholder Magomed Ankalaev for the division’s top-ranked contender. But Prochazka isn’t focused on his ranking, nor is he dwelling on his most recent outing. Currently, his focus is on learning from past mistakes and utilizing those experiences to become a better fighter.
“About the fight—right now, my feelings and thoughts are just: what to make better next time? Where is the space to make it work much better? Next time, not to repeat the mistakes from the past, and at the same time, to be focused for something,” Prochazka said in an interview with Bloody Elbow.
“What from the fight was successful? What is my nature, something that’s naturally mine, and it’s good to repeat that in fighting? This is what’s in my mind right now—and I’m still working on that.”
Prochazka could very well be the next man up in the light heavyweight division, though there’s a strong chance that he’ll never get a third crack at Pereira.
Poatan’ reclaimed the light heavyweight belt at UFC 320, scoring an 80-second knockout over Ankalaev to retake the title and re-establish himself as the division’s top dog. Since then, Pereira has seemingly set his sights on a move to heavyweight, leaving many to wonder what would become of the 205-pound title.
Jiri Prochazka ready to face anyone for light heavyweight strap
Prochazka believes he has more than earned the opportunity to compete for the vacant crown, should it come to that. As for the man standing across from him, the Czech isn’t particularly concerned.
“I really don’t care what will be (Pereira’s) next move because I want to fight for the title and right now, I don’t care if it will be Alex Pereira, Ulberg, or Ankalaev,” Prochazka added. “I’m not obsessed with Alex Pereira, I really don’t care about some revenge… More importantly for me and for everyone who fights in the UFC is the title, to be the champion, to be the best; this is what I’m looking for.
“If (a fight against Ulberg would be for the title), let’s go for that. He’s a great fighter, he’s proved that many times, he’s very talented, really good kickboxing base, and he’s fast, he’s fresh, yeah, he has good movement on his legs, very light. Let’s see what will be the next step.”
