“It Was Not Like Just My Decision” – Jiri Prochazka Opens Up Months After Vacating the Light Heavyweight Title, Makes a Surprising Confession

Jiri Prochazka will return to action this weekend at UFC 295. He will take on former middleweight champion Alex Pereira with the vacant light heavyweight title up for grabs. Meanwhile, ‘The Czech Samurai’ recently shared his thoughts on vacating the title in 2022. He also revealed the real reason behind that decision.

Jiri Prochazka became the light heavyweight champion at UFC 275. He defeated Glover Teixeira to become the first UFC champion from the Czech Republic. He was then scheduled to face Teixeira at UFC 282. However, Prochazka was forced to pull out due to injury and vacated his championship strap. Let’s see what he had to say about that.

Jiri Prochazka reveals the reason behind vacating the title

During an interview with UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping, Jiri Prochazka seemed to be in good spirits ahead of his fight at Madison Square Garden. The Czech fighter opined on vacating the title in 2022. Prochazka mentioned that before making that decision, he had a discussion with his team.

Furthermore, Jiri Prochazka also mentioned that he did not want to be the reason for the stagnation of the light heavyweight division. He believed that the division and the UFC as a whole had to move on. “It was not like just my decision. After some talks, I think the division and the UFC, all the game, have to go on. That’s the main point,” said the former champion.

It has been a year since the 31-year-old fought inside the Octagon. However, the time away from action was enough for him to consider his future and focus on getting the title back. Hence, Prochazka stated that he is confident about his chances of becoming the light heavyweight champion for a second time.

“[I am] self-confident in that I can be the champion again. It keeps me on the way,” said Jiri Prochazka. Moreover, he even made a few statements about the reason behind vacating the title back when he made that decision in December 2022. Let’s see what he had to say back then.

‘The Czech Samurai’ vacated the belt out of respect for the fighters in the division

After suffering a shoulder injury, Jiri Prochazka revealed his decision to vacate the title in an interview on ‘The MMA Hour’. He appeared to have no qualms about making that decision. Prochazka told Ariel Helwani that he had been in talks with the UFC brass and believed that the division should be able to move ahead. He said, “After talk(s) with the directors of UFC, I have let… the show must go on and I respect it.”

Jiri Prochazka also mentioned that vacating the title was the best decision for the division since he was going to be out for quite some time. He had no problems in waiting to get his shot at the champion again. “It is the best for the light heavyweight division right now… My way is to be the best fighter in the world, not just in the light heavyweight division. That’s why I can vacate the title and wait for my moment till I’ll be in full power,” the former champion added.

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Jiri Prochazka’s last fight was for the title and now, again, he is returning to action in another title fight. He now has the chance to become a two-time light heavyweight champion. Meanwhile, Alex Pereira would be looking to cement his legacy and become a two-division champion at UFC 295. We will have to wait and see how things pan out this weekend.

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