Prochazka Already Punching Wood Again

07/02/2024 06:44 AM

Prochazka is committed to starting over from scratch and building himself up to a new championship level.

Alex Pereira isn't the only one who rushed back to training after UFC 303. His opponent Jiri Prochazka also decided to get a little bit of striking practice in as well following his second round KO loss to "Poatan."

Prochazka's second performance against Pereira left a lot to be desired. "The Czech Samurai" looked tentative in their June 29th rematch, and that allowed the Brazilian kickboxer to pick him apart and nearly knock him out at the end of round 1. Jiri couldn't recover in time for round 2 ... Alex sauntered out to answer the bell and immediately kicked the challenger in the head, ending the fight just 13 seconds in (watch the highlights here).

Prochazka's takeaway from that humbling defeat: "I need to evolve to the next level, or don't fight again."

Since quitting clearly isn't an option for Jiri, he got right back to working on his skills the moment he returned home.

"No sleeping because of jet lag," he said in a new Instagram video where he punched a padded board. "So the best time ... to elevate. Let's go!"

"I will take rest, but now Its time to elevate," he wrote in the caption. "Start again. Smarter, Faster, more precisely. With a SPIRIT of Void."

Hopefully once he's back with his team they can help him with his biggest flaw, which is defense. Prochazka simply doesn't have any after years of running through opponents like a bull in a china shop. Even in this video you can see his hands dropping low on certain punches, which is what Alex Pereira's team noticed and took advantage of.

We get the feeling Prochazka may attempt to change from a wild and dangerous brawler to a more measured and cautious fighter. Not that he cares, but we would advise against this. Jiri definitely needs to tighten up some of the holes in his game. But what got him to the dance is his willingness to go out there and take the fight to opponents, not the crispness of his combinations. He didn't take the initiative against Pereira in their rematch, and that allowed "Poatan" to pick him apart.

Hopefully the Czech fighter takes a decent break, allows his head to recover from the trauma it's taken over the past few months, and returns with confidence and aggression.