Former UFC champion Jiri Prochazka turns down massive title bout offer to prioritise university exams
Czech fighter
Jiri Prochazka
's title run chances might not have met their end, as his manager,
Tim Simpson
, discloses new information on the
UFC
approaching the fighter for the upcoming
International Fight Week 2025
at the Ariel Helwani Show.
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Having lost the title to
Alex Pereira
in 2023, the fighter had another shot at UFC 303 but failed at reclaiming the belt. In a recent negotiation for the promotion, Jiri supposedly declined a
title bout offer at UFC 317
for another interesting opponent in life—
university exams
.
Jiri Prochazka, for his next bout in the Octagon, prefers full training camps rather than short-notice fights
Recently, Alex Pereira made a post on X about the Poatan's weary relationship with the UFC, which the fighter later claimed was the work of a hacker.
Ever since, the MMA sphere has had its own set of theories regarding the truth of the claims. The now-deleted post also emphasized the twisted negotiations between the UFC and the fighter.
With Tim Simpson, Jiri Prochazka's manager, revealing the recent interaction between UFC and the Czech fighter, the interpretation of Poatan's recent activity becomes slightly different. At the Ariel Helwani Show, the host asked Simpson about the current status of the fighter's next bout, to which the manager replied, stating, 'Yes, they inquired about if Jiri could do it.'
Simpson referred to a title bout between Prochazka and
Magomed Ankalaev
instead of a rematch with Alex Pereira. He further continued, 'The UFC just wanna know what their options are and I felt like it may not have been necessarily an option for sure.'
Darren Till, Valentina Shevchenko, Benoit Saint Denis, Bhullar and Simpson in studio, OTN | 05/14/25
With not much time left for the IFW, it seems like Jiri is not very interested in the bout. According to his manager, the fighter is more focused on clearing his university exams.
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Simpson revealed the real reason for the fighter declining the title bout offer, 'He's doing his exams. That's legit. He's deferred them so many times. Like, man, 'I can't defer this exam…' So, he wants to finish the exams. But also, he's done a lot of short notice stuff for them before.' The fighter himself believes that
short-notice fights
affect his performance as a whole, another major reason for being sceptical about the offer.
'When he gets full proper [training] camps, he looks so much better because he's so diligent with his body. So, I don't think he's gonna be a short notice guy anytime soon.' The manager stated.
Also read:
Jiri Prochazka has previously stepped up for short notice during his past few years in the UFC. However, now, after clearing his university exams, the fighter will be opting for full training camp before any of his bouts.
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