Jiri Prochazka lost to Alex Pereira via head kick knockout in the second round of UFC 303, prompting him to declare he must either evolve to the next level or stop fighting.
Jiri Prochazka came up short in his attempt to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight title. He lost to Alex Pereira in the main event of Saturday night’s UFC 303 in Las Vegas. And he gave himself sort of an ultimatum.
The former UFC and RIZIN 205-pound champion lost via head kick knockout. It happened just 18 seconds into the second round after being stunned at the buzzer in the first. He posted a video on his social media with his first words on the defeat.
“Hello everyone, thank you for all your support,” Prochazka said. “Thanks to you Alex for the fight. You [were] better.”
“And only one thing goes on my mind, that I need to evolve to the next level — or don’t fight again,” he continued. “So simple, to be the strongest, this is the way. Thank you. See you in the gym.”
Check out the video below.
Prochazka (30-5-1) was victorious in 14 of his past 16 MMA bouts dating back to 2015. But he suffered both losses against “Poatan”. Both fighters agreed to step in on two weeks’ notice to save UFC 303 after Conor McGregor withdrew from the main event due to injury.
Pereira improved to 11-2 in MMA and 8-1 under the UFC banner with this knockout, his sixth since joining in 2021. The promotion has yet to confirm who will get the next crack at the light heavyweight belt.
Stay tuned for updates!