Jiri Prochazka has offered a detailed reflection on his knockout loss to Carlos Ulberg in their vacant light heavyweight title fight at UFC 327 in Miami, and laid out an ambitious timeline for his return.
Ulberg suffered a serious knee injury during the bout but still finished Prochazka before the end of the first round. Looking back, Prochazka said the turning point was how he reacted once he realized Ulberg was compromised.
“Let’s get this down in black and white so no one comes up with any bullshit here,” Prochazka said. “Because what I’m hearing all around is complete nonsense and I have to laugh at it. So briefly and the only thing in the fight: I lost my focus there. Focus on the goal. Focus on the target and that was especially the case when Ulberg injured his leg. I know what that’s like because exactly this happened to me once in a fight in Japan. I fought through that match, but I know what it’s like. The pain, the struggle, so all credit to him for managing to keep a cool head, for catching me with that hook.”
“But I can say for myself that I know from the moment that happened to him, I wasn’t at 100% anymore. I was at maybe 40, 50% of my performance and I was just sparring and waiting for the referee to stop the fight at any moment,” he added. “It was a big mistake. Maybe one of the biggest. I don’t want to beat myself up about it nonstop. Because the most important thing is to always learn from it and move forward stronger. So that’s it.”
Prochazka also pushed back on commentary from fellow fighters. “As for responding to all these so-called experts, [Paulo] Costa, [Magomed] Ankalaev and all the other ‘experts’,” he said. “Well, like this. On top of that I don’t even know if Ankalaev is still being written by his manager or if it’s actually him.”
Away from the cage, Prochazka said his immediate priority is at home after recently becoming a father. “As for the next fight, I’ll start talking about negotiations for the next fight in about a month,” Prochazka explained. “Because right now it’s time to focus purely and mainly on my family. Even though I’m filled with a million emotions from the fight and all those things are really battling inside me, right now I need to hold my ground at home … and just be the man of the house and enjoy this new energy that’s come to us through my daughter, our daughter.”
“This match has just lit the fire in me even more,” he said. “I’m already looking forward to the next opponent, the next round of training. To strengthen it again, to be a little better, to stay on the way. Strength and honor. And I believe that before Carlos returns to the fight, I will fight for the title.”
