Jason Burgos
On Saturday night at UFC 327, Jiri Prochazka seemed on the verge of becoming a two-time UFC light heavyweight champ. Opponent Carlos Ulberg seemed to suffer a serious right knee injury and was pretty much fighting on one leg in the opening round of their bout. Prochazka had Ulberg dead to rights.
However, the New Zealander showed off his impressive heart and power and landed a thunderous hook that dropped the former champion and set up his end in Round 1. It was a crushing defeat for the Czech star. Nevertheless, he remains one of the division’s most exciting and popular fighters. So he still has more big matchups ahead.
With that in mind, let’s look at five opponent options for Jiri Prochazka after UFC 327.
Jamahal Hill
A year ago, Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill went to war at UFC 311. With the 33-year-old back outside of title contention picture, the promotion could decide to match the two former champions up again to lock in an exciting clash that can easily headline a Fight Night card in Europe.
Johnny Walker
Light heavyweight veteran Johnny Walker also came up short in his fight at UFC 327. However, his clash with Dominick Reyes was panned by the fans in attendance for its lack of action. Sometimes, fighters are bad dance partners. Prochazka is a great dance partner with everybody and would definitely draw out the best version of Walker.
Jan Blachowicz
If Jan Blachowicz can beat Bogdan Guskov in May and get his first win in four years — he is 0-2-2 in his last four — he deserves a big fight in his next appearance. While Prochazka has faced almost all of 205 pounds’ best during his UFC career, he has yet to take on the master of “Polish Power.”
Blachowicz vs. Prochazka would be a big-money Fight Night main event in Europe this fall.
Serghei Spivac
After falling to 3-3 in his last six and being back outside the title picture, it can’t be ruled out that Prochazka decides to test a move up to heavyweight. He would certainly be at a size disadvantage, but his length, speed, and unpredictable striking would be a serious problem for many heavyweights.
If he did move up and got a ranked foe right away, a sensible option would be Serghei Spivac. The 31-year-old has been in the company for seven years and is one of the gatekeepers of the heavyweight top 10. If Prochazka thinks he could fight for gold at heavyweight, Spivac would be a good first test.
Tyrell Fortune
Another potential option if Prochazka moved up to heavyweight would be Bellator product Tyrell Fortune. The talented wrestler made his UFC debut in March with a big win over rankings stalwart Marcin Tybura that landed him a spot in the top 10.
The 35-year-old is a big and strong grappler who would offer the former light heavyweight champion some serious challenges while having clear weaknesses that Prochazka could exploit.
