Jiri Prochazka saw the writing on the wall even before Alex Pereira looked to avenge his loss to Magomed Ankalaev.
In the main event of UFC 320 earlier this month, Pereira did exactly that with a lopsided 80 second TKO win over Ankalaev to regain the light heavyweight title. Prochazka, who also earned a stoppage win at the event over Khalil Rountree, was asked if he was surprised Pereira made it look so easy, and after running into both fighters earlier in the week, Prochazka’s crystal ball read a Pereira win all the way.
”No, no, I was not so surprised,” Prochazka told MMA Fighting. Because when I saw Alex in the [UFC Performance Institute] and I saw how he was in shape and how his training was going. And yeah, I saw the spirit of Alex and I saw the spirit of of Ankalaev, then I said to myself, ‘Man, this is like another story than before.’
“Their first fight, what I watched, it was really like, said to myself, ‘Man, that’s something bad with him because he’s just keeping himself a little bit back. So, so I’m happy that he won, but that’s all.”
Following the event, Ankalaev’s team revealed that he suffered a rib injury prior to the fight — to which Pereira responded by saying he was dealing with his own physical ailments heading in.
While Pereira looked sharp and focused, Prochazka says he didn’t see the same confidence from Ankalaev compared to their first meeting when he defeated Pereira to win the title at UFC 313 in March.
“In [the] P.I., I didn’t see him to train too much,” Proachazka said. “But I saw him before the fight. And in the fight, when I saw him, like he was catching himself back, back, back, back, little step back, little step back, then I saw like he’s he’s not right. Something’s wrong, so something like, he’s so careful. He’s so careful, not like last time, he’s going forward, up and down, changing levels, self-confidence, he was totally, totally different person.”
Prochazka was quite emotional following Pereira’s win because the dream scenario for “BJP” is to become a two-time light heavyweight champion, and do so by defeating “Poatan,” who holds two knockout victories in the series.
If Prochazka had to choose one or the other, it’s regaining that title and doing things right the second time around.
“Whatever [UFC wants to do],” Prochazka explained. “Right now, what I want, I really want to fight Alex [for the] third] time. And I’m ready for whoever, but what I really think, and I know right now, I’m ready for the title. [I’m ready] for that chance to take it back to Czech Republic, and I’m going for that.”
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