Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka plans on showing his evolution against Aleksandar Rakic.
Prochazka (29-4-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) takes on Rakic (14-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at UFC 300 on April 13 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Prochazka will look to rebound from his stoppage loss to Alex Pereira in their title fight at UFC 295, where he returned from a more than year-long layoff due to injury. He didn’t care who the UFC matched him up with next.
“I don’t care about what the right fight is for me,” Prochazka told Low Kick MMA. “I wanted to be back as soon as possible, and Aleksandar was the first one who was free from the top five guys at light heavyweight. So I called him about the fight.”
Rakic has long been calling to fight Prochazka and will finally get his wish. Prochazka thinks Rakic is stronger on the ground than on the feet but is willing to fight him wherever.
“He’s 50-50,” Prochazka said. “He’s a good wrestler. He’s a really strong guy, I think. His standup is not the best, but like I said, he’s a 50-50. Good striker, good wrestler, and I’m ready for both.”
The loss to Pereira snapped Prochazka’s 13-fight winning streak. He’s eager to show his full potential against Rakic.
“I want to realize the mastery,” Prochazka said. “Not just in the training, not just in the daily life. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Be better, be better. But in the cage. To show it in the cage, that’s what I want to show.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.
Jiri Prochazka hopes ‘to realize the mastery’ vs. Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 300
