Henry Cejudo: Jiri Prochazka needs to improve defense or it will cost him vs. Alex Pereira

Henry Cejudo warns Jiri Prochazka that he can’t be careless against Alex Pereira.

Former champion Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) meets Pereira (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) for the vacant light heavyweight title in the UFC 295 main event Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Prochazka has displayed a wild style in his three UFC appearances, which have resulted in spectacular finishes over Volkan Oezdemir, Dominick Reyes and Glover Teixeira. Prochazka also has the tendency to get hit, and Cejudo says he can’t afford to absorb clean shots against someone with the power of former Glory Kickboxing dual-champion, and ex-UFC middleweight champ Pereira.

“The technique, as good as you are with everything, there’s one area where I feel like you really need to get better at – two areas,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “Your defense, with your hands: I don’t like seeing you get hit because that may cost you against a guy like Alex Pereira. Then the other thing, too, is your takedown defense. Your takedown defense is still a little suspect.”

Cejudo rated Prochazka’s threshold very highly, but thinks he could use some work on his technique. He praised him for not giving up when in compromising positions, but says he needs to tighten up his defense standing up and on the ground.

“If there’s an area where I feel like he really needs to get better, it’s (technique) – particularly his defense,” Cejudo said. “And the other thing is his takedown defense.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.