Latest news with #JiriProchazka
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jiri Prochazka set as backup for UFC 320's Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira 2
Jiri Prochazka already has a fight set for the main card of UFC 320, but will also serve as the backup fighter for the main event. On Oct. 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, former light heavyweight champion Prochazka (31-5-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has a matchup on the books against former title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. The main event of the pay-per-view is a 205-pound title rematch between champ Magomed Ankalaev and former champ Alex Pereira. The UFC often labels a top contender as a backup fighter for a title fight in case something were to go wrong in the days ahead of the fight. Should the unthinkable happen, Prochazka will get the call. MMA Junkie confirmed the news following Prochazka's interview on "The Ariel Helwani Show." In this case, with Prochazka already being on the card, he will not make an unnecessary weight cut. However, he will have to make the championship weight of 205 pounds in order to be eligible to win the title. Through seven UFC fights, Prochazka has only needed to use the one-pound allowance for non-title fights once. Prochazka has history with one side of the main event, as he lost a vacant title fight to Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) at UFC 295, and failed to beat the Brazilian in a title rematch at UFC 303. The Czech Republic-born contender has not faced the current champion Ankalaev (21-1-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC). Should Prochazka not be needed as a backup, the fight against Rountree Jr. (14-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) could produce the next No. 1 contender. In his last outing, Prochazka rebounded from the second loss to Pereira by stopping Jamahal Hill in the third round at UFC 311. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 320: Jiri Prochazka set as backup for main event title fight
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jiri Prochazka was 'unimpressed' by Khalil Rountree's win over Jamahal Hill
Jiri Prochazka is next up, and he joins to discuss his upcoming fight against Khalil Rountree at UFC 320, trash talk with Magomed Ankalaev, his role as backup fighter for UFC 320's main event, turning down a fight to finish his degree, and more.
The Independent
29-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Jiri Prochazka says ‘deal' in place around Alex Pereira vs Magomed Ankalaev rematch
Jiri Prochazka has said he will serve as the back-up fighter for Alex Pereira 's rematch with Magomed Ankalaev in October, as he bids to regain the UFC light-heavyweight title. At UFC 320 in Las Vegas, Pereira will aim to reclaim the title from Ankalaev, having lost it to the Russian with a decision defeat in March. But should either fighter fail to make it to the main event, Prochazka will step in – potentially for a trilogy bout with Pereira, who twice beat the Czech in title fights. Prochazka is scheduled to face Khalil Rountree Jr, another former foe of Pereira, on the undercard at UFC 320, but the former champion could see himself elevated to the headline fight if needed. 'Yeah, that's right, yeah,' Prochazka, 32, told journalist Ariel Helwani on Monday (28 July). 'That was the deal with UFC.' He also added that the winner of his fight with Rountree will be next in line for a title shot, saying: 'Yes, yeah. It's not yet on paper, but we are right now... That was their word, so.' Given Prochazka and Rountree's respective histories with Pereira, a fight between either man and Ankalaev would mark a fresher match-up atop the 205lb division. Prochazka first faced Pereira in November 2023, fighting the Brazilian for the vacant title, which the latter won with a second-round TKO. In their rematch last June, 38-year-old Pereira achieved the same result in the same round, retaining the title. That preceded a fourth-round TKO of Rountree in October, as Pereira overcame a slow start to record a third straight retention of his title. He then lost the belt to Ankalaev, 33, via unanimous decision in March. Prochazka and Rountree will each enter their clash at UFC 320 on the back of a stoppage win over Jamahal Hill. Prochazka beat the former champion in January, before American Rountree, 35, did the same in June.
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jiri Prochazka says Khalil Rountree Jr. fight is for No. 1 contender: 'That was their word'
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka has his next assignment. A handful of big October bouts were announced this past week, including the Oct. 4 return of Prochazka for a showdown against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 320 in Las Vegas. The UFC light heavyweight title will also be on the line in the card's main event, when champion Magomed Ankalaev rematches Alex Pereira. Prochazka revealed Monday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" that he's officially set to occupy the backup fighter role should anything go awry with the Anaklaev vs. Pereira 2 headliner. As for his bout against Rountree, he expects the winner to go on and challenge whoever holds the title after UFC 310. "It's not yet on the paper, but we are right now, that was their word," said Prochazka, who's twice challenged Pereira and twice lost by knockout to the Brazilian in the past three years. Since his latest win over Jamahal Hill at UFC 311 in January, Prochazka has stayed mentally sharp by continuing his college studies at Masarykova Univerzita. While he remains fully committed to his fight career, the former champ was dedicated to his schoolwork throughout the past semester, claiming to turn down a title shot offer against Ankalaev within the past several months. However, having bantered back and forth online with Ankalaev, the matchup against the champion remains enticing for Prochazka. "My hope is let the better [man] win, really," he said of Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2. "Because with Alex Pereira, there is a story [there between us] and a third fight, there's no other way to do [that] than to show the victory. With him, in a third fight, that would be great. To fight Ankalaev, it will be not just an honor, but I would like to fight Ankalaev, yeah. "In the first [Ankalaev vs. Pereira] fight, it was the same [question that will dominate conversation for the rematch] — how good will be Alex Pereira? Because in first fight, he didn't attack too much. He [held] himself a little bit back. I think, in his best shape, he will win for sure, but let's see. Ankalaev did great work with catching hands, up and down, changing levels. He did great work with Alex." If Prochazka wasn't getting a title fight next, he was hopeful to land Rountree instead. Unlike some of the Czech's latest foes, it's all respect for Rountree — and the matchup very easily could steal the show. "When I met him in Vegas, he looked like an ideal opponent," Prochazka said of Rountree. "He's a normal guy, technical, strategic, very dynamic. This is the opponent who I like to face. "I wanted to fight Ankalaev because there was a lot of trash talking after my fight, and from his side, there was a lot of not good words. But doesn't matter. This fight is about getting to the title, sure, but right now I'm really looking to show the best performance. This, for me, is the No. 1 [goal] in this game — to show the best performances. And I believe with Khalil, we can make a great fight." Prochazka vs. Rountree will only be a three-round bout, as UFC 320 hosts two title fights above it. Regardless, as with most of his fights, Prochazka doesn't expect the matchup to go the distance. Both men enter the Octagon fresh off victories over Hill. Prochazka put away the former champion with a third-round stoppage in a wild affair at UFC 311 to kickstart the year, while Rountree picked Hill apart for 25 minutes in a striking masterclass to win a unanimous decision this past June at UFC Baku. Prochazka and Rountree's performances were wildly different — chaos compared to calculation. If Prochazka has anything to say about it, he won't allow his opponent to dictate the pace in October. "A very careful performance. Patient," Prochazka said of Rountree's latest win. "My opinion, I don't like that. I don't like that performance because he gave Jamahal too many chances to be back in the fight. "[Rountree] had many chances to finish him decisively. That was not good. He was very patient, and what surprised me was Jamahal Hill's performance — I thought after a lot of trash talking, he would show a much better fight than he showed. "It was strange of Khalil to let him recover and still survive the fight, and Jamahal didn't show anything, and he was still too self-confident after the fight. If you want to fight on the top level, go there and show your best, totally, [with] no regrets."
Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ric Flair, Jiri Prochazka, Petr Yan, Lerone Murphy, Steven Nguyen and more
Ariel Helwani is BACK ... IN ... YOUR ... LIFE! Join "The Ariel Helwani Show" as Ariel and the Boys In The Back react to another busy weekend in combat at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT/6 p.m. UK time live on Uncrowned and YouTube. Monday's lineup can be seen below. 1 p.m. ET: Ariel and the gang react to anything and everything from the weekend in combat sports. 1:45 p.m. ET: Wrestling legend Ric Flair joins the program. 2:30 p.m. ET: Jiri Prochazka previews his UFC 320 showdown against Khalil Rountree Jr. 3 p.m. ET: Petr Yan stops by following his big win over Marcus McGhee. 3:30 p.m. ET: Lerone Murphy looks ahead to his short-notice return against Aaron Pico. 4 p.m. ET: Steven Nguyen calls in following his viral win over Mohammad Yahya. Catch all new episodes of "The Ariel Helwani Show" live every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET on Uncrowned and The Ariel Helwani Show's YouTube page. To listen to every episode, subscribe on Spotify or iTunes.
