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Former UFC light heavyweight champion Ji?í Procházka has looked back on his decision to vacate the title late last year.
In June 2022, Procházka completed a rapid ascension to the top of the 205-pound mountain, submitting the now-retired Glover Teixeira at UFC 275 to win gold in just his third appearance inside the Octagon.
While the Czech star had hoped to enter 2023 with one defense under his belt, his planned rematch with the Brazilian veteran at UFC 282 in December fell through after Procházka suffered a serious shoulder injury in training.
With that, the famed Samurai code-following 30-year-old released his grip on the title, allowing for the division to move forward immediately, a decision that he was widely praised for.
title. I will go for the UFC belt as soon as the doctors give me the green light to fight. I'm going to go for the belt and I'm going to get it no matter who currently holds it.— Jiri BJP Prochazka (@jiri_bjp) November 23, 2022
And despite heading towards a return timeline earlier than initially predicted by the promotion, with Dana White branding the shoulder injury one of the worst that UFC doctors had seen, Procházka wouldn’t change how he responded to the layoff.
Procházka: ‘Everything Happens For A Reason’
During a recent interview with Top Turtle MMA’s Daniel Vreeland, Ji?í Procházka was asked whether he regrets letting the title go rather than having other contenders in the weight class vie for an interim strap.
For the Czech Republic native, there can be no regrets because everything happens for a reason. And more than just his decision to vacate the title, he believes that also includes the injury itself.
“There is no regrets. I do not regret (anything),” Procházka said. “Everything, what I did, was necessary, even the injury. Everything has a reason, so I’m good with everything. I’m just happy for how everything goes and how everything is going right now. Right now, I’m very happy.”
Procházka went on to reiterate his desire to win back the belt this summer. Should his planned return timeline play out that way, “Denisa” could be back in the Octagon around a year after his championship success in Singapore.
That would perhaps suggest that relinquishing the title could have been avoided, especially considering a similar situation at flyweight last year saw an interim belt introduced while then-champ Deiveson Figueiredo missed a year of action.
What did you make of Ji?í Procházka’s decision to vacate the light heavyweight title late last year?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Ji?í Procházka has looked back on his decision to vacate the title late last year.
In June 2022, Procházka completed a rapid ascension to the top of the 205-pound mountain, submitting the now-retired Glover Teixeira at UFC 275 to win gold in just his third appearance inside the Octagon.
While the Czech star had hoped to enter 2023 with one defense under his belt, his planned rematch with the Brazilian veteran at UFC 282 in December fell through after Procházka suffered a serious shoulder injury in training.
With that, the famed Samurai code-following 30-year-old released his grip on the title, allowing for the division to move forward immediately, a decision that he was widely praised for.
title. I will go for the UFC belt as soon as the doctors give me the green light to fight. I'm going to go for the belt and I'm going to get it no matter who currently holds it.
— Jiri BJP Prochazka (@jiri_bjp) November 23, 2022[/quote]
And despite heading towards a return timeline earlier than initially predicted by the promotion, with Dana White branding the shoulder injury one of the worst that UFC doctors had seen, Procházka wouldn’t change how he responded to the layoff.
Procházka: ‘Everything Happens For A Reason’
During a recent interview with Top Turtle MMA’s Daniel Vreeland, Ji?í Procházka was asked whether he regrets letting the title go rather than having other contenders in the weight class vie for an interim strap.
For the Czech Republic native, there can be no regrets because everything happens for a reason. And more than just his decision to vacate the title, he believes that also includes the injury itself.
“There is no regrets. I do not regret (anything),” Procházka said. “Everything, what I did, was necessary, even the injury. Everything has a reason, so I’m good with everything. I’m just happy for how everything goes and how everything is going right now. Right now, I’m very happy.”
Procházka went on to reiterate his desire to win back the belt this summer. Should his planned return timeline play out that way, “Denisa” could be back in the Octagon around a year after his championship success in Singapore.
That would perhaps suggest that relinquishing the title could have been avoided, especially considering a similar situation at flyweight last year saw an interim belt introduced while then-champ Deiveson Figueiredo missed a year of action.
What did you make of Ji?í Procházka’s decision to vacate the light heavyweight title late last year?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
In June 2022, Procházka completed a rapid ascension to the top of the 205-pound mountain, submitting the now-retired Glover Teixeira at UFC 275 to win gold in just his third appearance inside the Octagon.
While the Czech star had hoped to enter 2023 with one defense under his belt, his planned rematch with the Brazilian veteran at UFC 282 in December fell through after Procházka suffered a serious shoulder injury in training.
With that, the famed Samurai code-following 30-year-old released his grip on the title, allowing for the division to move forward immediately, a decision that he was widely praised for.
title. I will go for the UFC belt as soon as the doctors give me the green light to fight. I'm going to go for the belt and I'm going to get it no matter who currently holds it.— Jiri BJP Prochazka (@jiri_bjp) November 23, 2022
And despite heading towards a return timeline earlier than initially predicted by the promotion, with Dana White branding the shoulder injury one of the worst that UFC doctors had seen, Procházka wouldn’t change how he responded to the layoff.
Procházka: ‘Everything Happens For A Reason’
During a recent interview with Top Turtle MMA’s Daniel Vreeland, Ji?í Procházka was asked whether he regrets letting the title go rather than having other contenders in the weight class vie for an interim strap.
For the Czech Republic native, there can be no regrets because everything happens for a reason. And more than just his decision to vacate the title, he believes that also includes the injury itself.
“There is no regrets. I do not regret (anything),” Procházka said. “Everything, what I did, was necessary, even the injury. Everything has a reason, so I’m good with everything. I’m just happy for how everything goes and how everything is going right now. Right now, I’m very happy.”
Procházka went on to reiterate his desire to win back the belt this summer. Should his planned return timeline play out that way, “Denisa” could be back in the Octagon around a year after his championship success in Singapore.
That would perhaps suggest that relinquishing the title could have been avoided, especially considering a similar situation at flyweight last year saw an interim belt introduced while then-champ Deiveson Figueiredo missed a year of action.
What did you make of Ji?í Procházka’s decision to vacate the light heavyweight title late last year?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
In June 2022, Procházka completed a rapid ascension to the top of the 205-pound mountain, submitting the now-retired Glover Teixeira at UFC 275 to win gold in just his third appearance inside the Octagon.
While the Czech star had hoped to enter 2023 with one defense under his belt, his planned rematch with the Brazilian veteran at UFC 282 in December fell through after Procházka suffered a serious shoulder injury in training.
With that, the famed Samurai code-following 30-year-old released his grip on the title, allowing for the division to move forward immediately, a decision that he was widely praised for.
title. I will go for the UFC belt as soon as the doctors give me the green light to fight. I'm going to go for the belt and I'm going to get it no matter who currently holds it.
— Jiri BJP Prochazka (@jiri_bjp) November 23, 2022[/quote]
And despite heading towards a return timeline earlier than initially predicted by the promotion, with Dana White branding the shoulder injury one of the worst that UFC doctors had seen, Procházka wouldn’t change how he responded to the layoff.
Procházka: ‘Everything Happens For A Reason’
During a recent interview with Top Turtle MMA’s Daniel Vreeland, Ji?í Procházka was asked whether he regrets letting the title go rather than having other contenders in the weight class vie for an interim strap.
For the Czech Republic native, there can be no regrets because everything happens for a reason. And more than just his decision to vacate the title, he believes that also includes the injury itself.
“There is no regrets. I do not regret (anything),” Procházka said. “Everything, what I did, was necessary, even the injury. Everything has a reason, so I’m good with everything. I’m just happy for how everything goes and how everything is going right now. Right now, I’m very happy.”
Procházka went on to reiterate his desire to win back the belt this summer. Should his planned return timeline play out that way, “Denisa” could be back in the Octagon around a year after his championship success in Singapore.
That would perhaps suggest that relinquishing the title could have been avoided, especially considering a similar situation at flyweight last year saw an interim belt introduced while then-champ Deiveson Figueiredo missed a year of action.
What did you make of Ji?í Procházka’s decision to vacate the light heavyweight title late last year?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
