Jiri Prochaska is no longer dwelling on the past.
After falling short to Alex Pereira twice, the ‘BJP’ was stuck in the light heavyweight division. But his sensational come-from-behind KO of Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 321 appears to have changed everything.
Prochaska’s highlight-reel finish puts him level with former titleholder Magomed Ankalaev as the top contender in the division. But Prochaska doesn’t pay attention to her rankings or dwell on her recent results. Currently, he is focused on learning from his past mistakes and using that experience to become a better fighter.
“My feelings and thoughts about the game right now are: What do I improve next? Where is the space to work better? Next time I don’t repeat the mistakes of the past, and at the same time I focus on something,” Prochaska said in an interview with Bloody Elbow.
“What was successful in the fight? What is my nature, what comes naturally to me and is it good to repeat it in a fight? This is what is in my mind now and I am still working on it.”
There’s a good chance Prochaska is the next light heavyweight, but there’s a good chance he won’t get a third crack at Pereira.
Poitan regained the light heavyweight belt at UFC 320, re-establishing himself as the division’s top dog with an 80-second knockout win over Ankalaev. Since then, Pereira appears to be aiming to move up to heavyweight, leaving many wondering what will become of the 205-pound title.
Jiri Prochazka is ready to take on anyone for the light heavyweight strap
Prochaska believes she has a good chance of competing for the vacant title. The Czech is not particularly worried about the man standing across from him.
“I don’t really care what[Pereira’s]next move is. I want to fight for the title and right now I don’t care whether it’s Alex Pereira, Ulberg or Ankalaev,” Prochaska added. “I’m not attached to Alex Pereira. I don’t care about revenge… What’s more important to me and everyone who fights in the UFC is the title, to be the champion, to be the best. This is what I’m looking for.”
“If that’s the case (with a fight with Wolberg for the title), then let’s go there. He’s a great fighter, he’s proven that time and time again. He’s very talented, he’s got a really good kickboxing fundamentals. And he’s fast, he’s fresh, and yeah, he has good footwork and he’s very light. Let’s see what the next step is.”