Who’s next? Jiří Prochazka has several possible scenarios ahead of him after his loss. A man who has already refused to fight him once may be in play

Jiri Prochazka fought for the UFC title over the weekend. Unfortunately unsuccessfully. Alex Pereira defeated him in the second round. The Moravian samurai, however, looked untroubled immediately after the stoppage. If he had won, his next opponent would have been clear. Not so now. What options are in play?

UFC 295 offered eight finishes before the limit. Unfortunately, one of the fighters who was terminated was Jiri Prochazka, who was sent down in the second by Alex Pereira, who had been pulling the short end of the rope up to that point.

If the Hostěradice native had won, he would have taken home the title. It would have been just as clear who his next opponent would be. He would be challenged in his defence by the brash Jamahal Hill, who has criticised not only the Moravian samurai but also his Brazilian conqueror.

It was Hill who held the title last time. But after an injury, he surrendered it in the manner of the BJP. It is this surrendering of the title, or rather taking it away, that makes the light heavyweight division unpredictable, insane.

That’s why it’s quite difficult to predict who Prochazka will challenge in his next fight. Moreover, it all depends on several factors. There are several scenarios in play.

The light heavyweight division is one of the most muddled ever in the UFC right now. The title holders change every now and then for various reasons, plus there are constant entanglements. One of them was the unexpected draw in Jan Blachowicz’s fight with Magomed Ankalaev.

Who will Procházka challenge in his next fight?

Recently, when Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker were able to fight for a closer title shot, the fight was controversially stopped. Instead of a disqualification, Ankalaev could have been happy that the bout was ruled a no contest. The solution? A rematch. It’s scheduled to take place in January.

Similarly, Jan Blachowicz and Aleksandar Rakic, men who have wanted to fight the Moravian samurai for some time, will face each other in January. Of the highest ranked fighters, the sixth is Nikita Krylov, who has refused to fight the Moravian-born fighter in the past. Moreover, saying that he doesn’t look back. Veteran Anthony Smith could also be in play, but that’s a highly speculative option.

At the moment, it all depends on the health and setup of the BJP head. If Prochazka needs more time to recover from the Pereira fight, a co-feature with the winner of one of the Blachowicz vs Rakic or Ankalaev vs Walker fights in the first half of the year makes sense.

But if he was medically sound and wanted to get back into action quickly, gain confidence and get comfortable, Smith would be the ideal opponent. After all, leading American journalists and fans think similarly.

After all, we have to take into account that Procházka hadn’t fought for 17 months and went straight into a fight with Pereira. He gave a good performance, but after such a long break it could have been a big bite, although Procházka himself will probably never say so.

The UFC, by the way, confirmed this year that he wants to return to Poland. If that happens in the first half of 2024, it would be worth waiting to see how the Blachowicz fight turns out. If he wins, a fight with Prochazka would be a European mega fight.

Source: UFC, MMA Junkie, Twitter, MMA Orbit