Jiri Prochazka endured one of the toughest losses in recent UFC title fight history at UFC 327, suffering a brutal knockout at the hands of a compromised Carlos Ulberg, who was competing on a torn ACL. Around the same time, the former light heavyweight champion experienced one of life’s greatest joys, welcoming his first child to the world just weeks later.
Prochazka, 33, hasn’t had a good night’s sleep since, for both reasons. Speaking Monday on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” the Czech reflected on the roller-coaster ride his life has taken over the past few weeks. His mind is split in two entirely different directions.
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“Still, I can’t sleep calmly because I’m still thinking about the improvements [I need to make after losing to Ulberg], about all these things that’s happened — and this small angel,” Prochazka told Uncrowned. “It’s giving me lots of energy to keep thinking positively and keep working on myself.”
Prochazka said he felt sharp in the early goings of his recent 205-pound title clash. It was a competitive affair for as long as it lasted, though the tide appeared to turn in Prochazka’s favor just minutes in once Ulberg took an awkward step backward and tore his ACL. But it didn’t matter — moments later, Ulberg connected with the kill shot, dropping Prochazka with a clean check left hook while backed into the cage.
The full extent of Ulberg’s injury was unknown to the world at the time, but Prochazka claimed he noticed it as soon as it happened. Prochazka immediately had flashbacks to a similar injury of his own, recalling his 2016 RIZIN Grand Prix win over Mark Tanios.
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“Amazing first round. One of the best first rounds that I ever did,” Prochazka said. “I was prepared 100%. That was one of the best preparations in my life. I’m so proud for my team, for my family, everybody around this. Everything was f***ing successful. Everything was great. And there was only me who did these things in the fight. Yeah, I just lost my focus.
“I don’t want to speak about that anymore. I don’t want to [make] excuse about that. Doesn’t matter for me right now. The most important thing for me is to keep my girls safe and keep them healthy, and work on myself. That’s all. Other thoughts about the fight, about the excuses, loss, whatever — doesn’t matter. Only way out is forward.”
Jiri Prochazka will hit the comeback trail as he regroups from a tough title fight loss to Carlos Ulberg.
(Carmen Mandato via Getty Images)
The aftermath of UFC 327 left a sour taste in both men’s mouths. Their reasons, however, were vastly different.
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Ulberg achieved the greatest success of his career, only to be sidelined for the foreseeable future because of knee surgery. Yet Ulberg was also none too pleased by comments made by Prochazka in the bout’s aftermath, which attributed the outcome to the ex-champ “showing mercy” inside the cage. Ulberg responded on “The Ariel Helwani Show” by calling out Prochazka as a “pretender” and questioning his entire persona.
Prochazka clarified his own position on the narrative that has since been spun.
“I don’t want to hear this bulls*** from a stripper,” Prochazka said of Ulberg. “Yeah, this is it. This is it. I believe that in the cage, we fighters are one of the most rare people in the world. Does anybody think that I prepared my words after the fight to tell the crowd I was so merciful? Man, first of all, I didn’t say that — I didn’t say that because Joe Rogan told me it was a mercy [in the post-fight interview], and I think like, it was not about the mercy, but I just saw [Ulberg] — he was hurt, and then I just didn’t accept the scenario of the fight. It can be [an] easy fight. The only thing I know is hard work. Hard work, keep working, beat the opponent through the hard work. Right now, this time, it showed me [the outcome could’ve been] really easy. And I was not prepared for this scenario.
“About the things that he’s saying right now, congrats, he’s the champion. Really, he caught me. I accept that. But all these things about I played something, maybe I’m too old to play something, whatever — I want to be real, that was bulls*** what he said. I don’t want to say anymore things and some excuses, I don’t care. I lost. I accept [that], and let’s go back. I’m really right now looking forward to be back in the work. I really understand what I need to change inside of myself, inside the team, inside all my preparation. Just hard work. Be precise, faster, stronger, and smarter in the fight.”
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The UFC’s light heavyweight division has been consistently plagued with bad luck among its champions in the post-Jon Jones era. Aside from Alex Pereira, who vacated the title to pursue heavyweight gold, injuries have been commonplace at the top. Prochazka was dealt his hand in that department, too — when he lost the title in 2022, it was due to a shoulder injury suffered outside the Octagon. He’s failed in his three shots to reclaim it since.
For his next move, Prochazka is focusing on his family and fatherhood, but he does have two names in mind that sound the most logical for his climb back to a fifth career UFC title fight.
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“Right now, I have the time with my girls, so it will be like two months. … So, right now I believe like August, September, something around about October,” Prochazka said.
“Right now, [Paulo] Costa or [Magomed] Ankalaev. I don’t care. I want to be the best. You want to be the best, you have to defeat whoever. So one of them, I believe, deserve the fight.”
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