Jiří Procházka Timeline | UFC 295: Procházka vs Pereira

Entering the UFC with a 26-3-1 record, Procházka was one of mixed martial arts’ hottest prospects. Having finished nine of his last 10 opponents coming into his promotional debut, the UFC wasted no time matching him up against an elite contender, Volkan Oezdemir.

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Oezdemir, the UFC’s current No. 9 ranked light heavyweight, was coming off back-to-back victories, including a Performance of the Night knockout against Ilir Latifi.

Only a minute into the fight, Procházka already made his presence known. With his hands down low or making gestures at his opponent, Procházka’s gamesmanship was on full display. That psychological warfare got him into trouble early, however, when Oezdemir landed a flurry of heavy shots that appeared to wobble the Czech newcomer.

10 months later, Procházka, having already defeated the then-No. 7 ranked contender, would face former title challenger Dominick Reyes. Despite coming off two consecutive losses, Reyes competed in back-to-back title fights against Jon Jones and Jan Blachowicz.

For Procházka, this was a big step up in competition, and a win would guarantee his name gets put on the short list of athletes next in line for a shot at the light heavyweight title. The biggest question going into this fight was how Procházka would handle the elite striking of Reyes, who went 25 minutes with Jones, one of the UFC’s all-time greats.

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While both athletes were landing an abundance of strikes, it was clear that Procházka had both the power and durability advantage in their exchanges. At the end of the first round, Reyes was wearing most of the damage and looked a step-behind a more polished Procházka than we saw in his debut.

Through three minutes into the second round, Procházka was walking Reyes down, landing a wide array of punches and kicks, and appeared to be in complete control. Reyes, who was looking for a counter left all fight to try and stop Procházka’s momentum, finally landed a picture-perfect left hand that staggered Procházka and forced a takedown attempt out of him.

Reyes jumped guillotine, which Procházka evaded smartly, allowing him to recover in top position while landing devastating ground-and-pound. Reyes quickly got back to his feet, but Procházka wouldn’t let him off the hook. Procházka chased Reyes back up against the cage, like he did against Oezdemir, and took full advantage. With Reyes shelled up against the side of the Octagon, Procházka landed a spinning back elbow that sent his opponent face first into the mat.

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“This is an ominous presence coming from the Czech Republic,” Brendan Fitzgerald said.

Two fights into his UFC career, Procházka had brutally knocked out two Top 10 ranked opponents, and was on his way to a shot at the light heavyweight title.

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vs Glover Teixeira at UFC 275

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Now making his third walk to the Octagon, a winner of his last 12 fights, Procházka faced then-champion Glover Teixeira at UFC 275 in Singapore in what would be an instant classic.

The biggest threat to Procházka in this fight, which he didn’t have to worry about against his previous two opponents, was Teixeira’s elite grappling. And in the first round, it was already evident that Teixeira had an overwhelming advantage in that department.

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Despite a very even contest on the feet, with Teixeira out striking Procházka 159-157 after 24 and a half minutes, the champion resorted to his wrestling to steal rounds on the judges’ scorecards. Texeira’s eagerness to bring Procházka to the mat would end up being a costly mistake late in the fifth round.

Entering the fifth, Teixeira was up on two of the judges’ scorecards and was continuing to dominate on the ground. Teixeira secured his fifth takedown of the fight halfway through the final round and it looked like he was on his way to successfully defending his UFC title. Procházka, falling far behind with little time left, had to pull something out of the bag to get his hand raised.

With just under two minutes to go, Procházka reversed positions and started going to work. Procházka was eventually able to maneuver into a crucifix position, which forced Teixeira to let his guard down and try to escape. Procházka locked in a rear naked choke, forcing Teixeira to tap with only 28 seconds left in the round. The Czech Republic had its first UFC champion.

Having only seen Procházka cruise his way to knockout victories, this fight showed everything he has to offer in the Octagon: striking, grappling, cardio, durability and heart. Despite a flawed performance, Procházka still found a way to get the job done and dethrone the champion.

Procházka Vacates Title – November 23, 2022

In November of last year, UFC President Dana White revealed Procházka had suffered what doctors called “the worst shoulder injury we’ve ever seen.” Not wanting to hold up the division while he took a year off to recover, Procházka vacated his belt.