Jiri Prochazka cannot get away from the fact that he messed up.
This past weekend, Prochazka faced Carlos Ulberg for the vacant light heavyweight title in the UFC 327 main event, and for much of the first round, Prochazka appeared to be a shoo-in for victory after Ulberg seriously injured his knee during the bout. But Ulberg hung tough, and when Prochazka got overly aggressive, he landed a perfect left hook, sending Prochazka crashing to the canvas, and following up with punches for the victory.
In the immediate aftermath, Prochazka blamed a sense of “mercy” for letting an injured foe off the hook as he did, and a few days later, the former light heavyweight champion is still mad at himself.
“I didn’t give the performance that I wanted. I literally f*cked it up,” Prochazka told Televizní Noviny upon landing back in the Czech Republic (h/t Freak MMA). “And mainly by, at the moment when I saw a weak opponent or an injured opponent, I won’t make excuses about some pity or compassion for him. I know that at that moment, I then no longer worked at 100 percent. That then cost me the victory.”
A former light heavyweight champion, Prochazka has now lost three title fights, raising the question of whether he will get another title shot in the future. Very few fighters have ever challenged for a UFC title more than four times, but Prochazka says he spoke with the UFC following the event and while an immediate rematch isn’t on the table, he believes another title run is still possible.
“I want to eat this up here until the worst end, so that I can, with all these emotions, with all these feelings, go further and go for that title again,” Prochazka said. “Because I talked with the UFC management, they are open towards all sorts of other alternatives, whether just some interesting fights or just jump for that title shot.
“I’m not saying yet, straight out. Nothing is confirmed yet. However, I know that after this performance, I will no longer be the same. I will no longer give those performances that I gave. And I believe that after this experience, I will be stronger than ever before, and I will bring that title to the Czech Republic.”
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