Jiri Prochazka was surprisingly emotional after seeing Alex Pereira reclaim his light heavyweight crown at UFC 320.

‘Poatan’ delivered one of the best bounce-back performances in Octagon history, smashing his way through Magomed Ankalaev in just 80 seconds to take back the belt he surrendered to the Dagestani in March.

Sitting ringside for the fight was Prochazka, who appeared to be in tears after seeing Pereira deliver the earth-shattering knockout. During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Prochazka offered some insight into why he was so emotional.

“It’s not that I was so happy Alex won or Ankalaev lost,” Procházka said. “I was so emotional because, in that moment, I really realized that Pereira won and there is a potential fight between me and him. That means there is a third fight. Third chance for me to be successful. I deeply realized, ‘Man, this is something you have to win, or nothing.’ That will be the biggest challenge of my life.

“F***, man, I really want to win. I know I’m taking a lot of risks in my fights, but I know I will find a way.”

Is the third time the charm for Jiri Prochazka?

Prochazka has already faced Pereira twice, the first of which went down in November 2023 at UFC 295. On that night, ‘Poatan’ put away the Czech just 52 seconds into the second round.

Seven months later, they’d run it back at UFC 303. Pereira would once again finish Prochazka in the second, though this time, it was just 13 seconds into the stanza.

Considering he’s 0-2 against Pereira, a third meeting might be a tough sell, but after Prochazka’s insane comeback KO against Khalil Rountree at UFC 320, fans may be ready to see if ‘BJP’ can finally break through and beat the Brazilian boogeyman.

Craig Pekios

Craig Pekios is a freelance writer born and raised in Bettendorf, IA. Joining LowKick MMA in May 2022, Craig has more than 4,000 articles published that focus on the world of MMA and boxing, including news, event previews, results, analysis, and op-eds.