Why Did Jiri Prochazka Vacate His UFC Title?

UFC light heavyweight star Jiri Prochazka is on his way back to title contention as he takes on fellow former champion Jamahal Hill at UFC 311. After two failed attempts to reclaim the 205-pound gold, there’s a lot riding at stake for the Czech national with just days to go for the PPV. But did you know that Prochazka never lost his title?

Yes, Jiri Prochazka had a bad time after he won the UFC title back in 2022 after beating Glover Teixeira. So, without any further ado, let’s take a look at what went down for the former light heavyweight champion.

Did Jiri Prochazka lose his LHW belt?

Alex Pereira might be reigning supreme as the current holder of the 205-pound belt, but a large chunk of UFC fans with deeper knowledge may label the UFC light heavyweight championship as a cursed one. Although, it’s not unusual for even UFC champions to get injured. But within just a few months, two UFC light heavyweight champions, including Jamahal Hill, had to relinquish their title due to injuries. Who’s the other one?

Yes, it’s the person we are primarily talking about here, Jiri Prochazka because he never lost the championship. He was originally scheduled to have a rematch with his last rival Glover Teixeira in the main event of the UFC 282. But almost half a month prior to the event, his manager, Tim Simpson, shockingly disclosed that Prochazka’s “shoulder got wrecked in a standard wrestling accident type of thing” while he was in a training session for the rematch against Teixeira.

The UFC CEO, Dana White, also weighed in on this unfortunate incident. However, his words clarified that Prochazka’s injury was a terrible one. He said, “It’s really f***ing bad. His shoulder is very, very bad. He’s going to have serious surgery that will require extensive rehab”. But Prochazka earned even more fans when he disclosed that he would be relinquishing his UFC light heavyweight gold since he knew that the time required to get back would be quite long. But the UFC never stripped him of his title, though.

Now, let’s take a look at his time as the reigning champion.

How many title defenses does Jiri have?

Jiri Prochazka has only won the UFC title once in his run so far but he never defended his belt due to the aforementioned injury. However, he was a champion in another promotion prior to his advent in the UFC. Remember the recently debuting Kai Asakura, who made a name for himself in Rizin Fighting Federation? It appears that Prochazka also fought in the Japanese promotion where he was the first to hold their light heavyweight championship. He defended that title only once.

Before Rizin FF, Jiri Prochazka fought in the Gladiator Fighting Championship, and guess what? He was the inaugural light heavyweight champion for that promotion as well. Also, he defended the GCF title once in his run there. So the only thing remaining now for the Czech national is to win back the UFC title and defend that one in the months to come.

However, his path back to title contention starts with Jamahal Hill. Both fighters are determined to become the number one contender and it remains to be seen who edges past the other on January 18 when the Octagon doors get shut. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.