Jiří Procházka is willing to do whatever it takes to earn himself a third crack at UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
Procházka will face former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill in a pivotal matchup for both men at UFC 311 next month. While Procházka is laser-focused on the task in front of him, he isn’t naive to what could be on the horizon with an impressive performance against Hill.
Procházka and Alex Pereira helped save the UFC’s International Fight Week pay-per-view card in June, following Conor McGregor‘s withdrawal due to injury. With just weeks to prepare for his rematch with Pereira, Procházka fell short for the second time in less than a year against the Brazilian powerhouse, losing by second-round knockout.
Despite two losses to Pereira, Procházka remains a central part of the UFC light heavyweight title picture and could potentially skip the line with a finish at UFC 311. While Magomed Ankalaev is the likely next title challenger, Procházka has the opportunity to steal Ankalaev’s spotlight and make a strong case for a trilogy bout with Pereira.
For Procházka, a third chance at Pereira isn’t just about legacy, but what he’s worked his entire life towards achieving.
Jiri Prochazka admits he ‘wasn’t grateful’ during injury-ruined title reign
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting‘s Mike Heck, Procházka opened up on the significance of a third fight with Pereira for a UFC championship.
“Maybe it sounds crazy or whatever, but I’m working towards being the champion [again],” Procházka said. “Every time, I’m just focused on what’s before me. What’s the next step? Right now, it’s Jamahal Hill. Next? We will see who will be the champion and if it’ll be Alex.
“For me right now, if there will be a third fight with Alex, that for me would be really the fight for my life…the first time, when I won [the title], I didn’t realize it was a big thing in my life,” Procházka continued. “I wasn’t grateful for it, I treated it automatically that I would be the champion…and that’s all. I wasn’t grateful for that moment and to be humble with it. So I said to myself ‘I want to go this way one more time’. Not just one more time, but to go there and take the belt, take the position of the best light heavyweight.”
Before two losses to Pereira, Procházka captured the UFC light heavyweight title in come-from-behind fashion against Glover Teixeira at UFC 275. He’s earned finishes over Dominick Reyes, Aleksandar Rakić, and Volkan Oezdemir during his promotional tenure.
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Jiri Prochazka wants to leave no doubt in securing a third Alex Pereira fight
Procházka vacated the light heavyweight belt in 2022 after suffering a shoulder injury just weeks after his UFC 275 title win. It took 1 1/2 years to recover from the ailment, and Procházka eventually made his return to the Octagon at UFC 295 against Pereira for Hill’s then-vacated title.
Procházka faces an uphill battle in potentially securing a third fight with Pereira, as the UFC rarely books trilogy fights when one fighter holds two previous wins. One of the lone exceptions is the Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway trilogy, but Holloway lost all three bouts in their featherweight title series.
After initially teasing a move down to middleweight, Procházka is transfixed on a third showdown with Pereira. His recent admissions about what a trilogy bout would mean to him make his UFC 311 showcase fight all the more enticing.