Jiri Prochazka’s return to the cage could come soon, but nothing is confirmed just yet.
That’s according to Prochazka himself, who took to Instagram to dismiss rumors that he’s already signed on the dotted line to headline UFC 332 in Salt Lake City for an interim light heavyweight belt. That event is currently listed on UFC.com as being headlined by TBD vs. TBD … not a great situation given there’s only six weeks left before the event goes down on October 3rd.
“Don’t believe to every bulls–t on internet,”
Prochazka wrote alongside some fresh training footage. “Fight is not confirmed yet, still working on that.”
“One thing is sure,” he added. “I want my preparation to be truly thorough — to break everything down, and to start from the roots that have long been a part of me. There are still levels that can be reached, and right now I am very grateful to see them clearly.”
One of the rumors floating around have Prochazka fighting Paulo Costa for the interim title while current champ Carlos Ulberg rehabs his injured knee. It’s certainly an odd one: Ulberg won the vacant title by knocking out Prochazka earlier in the year, and Costa has made it clear he wants to fight out his current UFC contract and test free agency.
A win for Costa would stop that from happening due to a champion’s clause in the contract that automatically extends a fighter’s deal should they hold a belt. But the UFC usually isn’t in the business of handing title fights to people who are even perceived to have one foot out the door. Still, Salt Lake City needs a headline fight and the promotion is clearly having some trouble filling that slot. Anything is possible when that’s the case, including Prochazka vs. Costa.
