Coach: Drop to middleweight ‘a potential restart and a positive step’ for ex-UFC champ Jiri Prochazka

Jiri Prochazka has just two losses under the UFC banner, both of which came at the hands of reigning 205-pound titleholder Alex Pereira. After a questionable stoppage at UFC 295 late last year, “Poatan” erased all doubt with a thunderous head kick in their UFC 303 rematch.

So what happened?

“I believed Jiri was truly ready going into this fight. We wouldn’t have taken this short notice fight if we hadn’t believed he was ready,” coach Martin Karaivanov told TN CZ Sport. “Everything was great before the fight. In the locker room too. I don’t know what happened. Jiri himself said he wasn’t fully in the fight, that he wasn’t able to fully immerse himself in it, which was reflected by his performance. We are going to rewatch the fight, recap what happened and alter our future training accordingly.”

That future training could include a weight cut to 185 pounds.

“Personally speaking I see [middleweight] as a potential restart and a positive step,” Karaivanov continued. “He is also still at an age where he can cut weight to [185] relatively well. We will definitely talk about it. It won’t be my decision, but a team decision. Middleweight would make sense because it would be a new start, something new to focus on. A return to light heavyweight would make sense if and when it starts becoming difficult for him to cut weight to middleweight.”

It became difficult for Pereira, 36, which is why “Poatan” now fights at 205 pounds.

Prochazka, 31, is likely to make his Octagon return at some point later this year, though it remains to be seen if matchmakers keep him at 205 pounds or give “BJP” the freedom to change weight classes. To see what Prochazka would be up against in his new division, check out the middleweight Top 15 here.