Jiri Prochazka has released a long statement following his disappointing loss to Carlos Ulberg at UFC 327, which was snatched from the jaws of victory.
Early on in their light heavyweight title fight, Ulberg blew his knee out badly and was basically fighting on one leg. Despite this, Prochazka still ended up walking into a powerful left hook from the New Zealand fighter. For everyone watching, the win was right there and watching Jiri lose was like witnessing your team miss an open net.
The emotional
fighter has said a lot about the defeat in the heat of the moment but he’s giving one more statement regarding the situation now that he’s back home and has had time to process.
“I just want to comment on the last fight as I promised,” Prochakza said in Czech. “And I’ll focus mainly on what actually happened out there. Let’s get this down in black and white so no one comes up with any bulls–t here, because what I’m hearing all around is complete nonsense and I have to laugh at it.”
“So briefly, and the only thing in the fight: I lost my focus there. Focus on the goal, focus on the target, and that was especially the case when Ulberg injured his leg. I know what that’s like, because exactly this happened to me once in a fight in Japan. I fought through that match, but I know what it’s like — the pain, the struggle. So all credit to him for managing to keep a cool head. For catching me with that hook.”
“But I can say for myself that I know from the moment that happened to him, I wasn’t at 100% any more,” Prochazka continued. “I was maybe at 40%, 50% of my performance. And I was just sparring and waiting for the referee to stop the fight at any moment. And that was probably one of the — it was a big mistake. Maybe one of the biggest. I don’t want to beat myself up about it nonstop because the most important thing is to always learn from it and move forward stronger. So that’s it.”
“And as for responding to all these so-called experts here,” he added. “[Paulo] Costa, [Magomed] Ankalaev, and all the other ‘experts,’ the so called guys? [Kisses hand] Like this. On top of that I don’t even know if Ankalaev is still being written by his manager or if it’s actually him. As for the next fight, I’ll start talking about negotiations for the next fight in about a month because right now it’s time to focus purely and mainly on my family.”
Prochazka went on to discuss the arrival of his new baby, who was due for birth just days after his UFC 327 main event fight.
“Even though I’m filled with a million emotions from the fight and all those things are really battling inside me, right now I need to hold my ground, hold my ground at home,” he said. “The girls are always asleep so I’d better keep it quiet and just be a real man of the house and enjoy this new energy that’s come to us through our daughter, the newly-born just now, fresh off the birth. Which makes me happy. It’s an amazing boost.”
“But like I said, there’s more to it now and I’m looking forward to it. I’m already looking forward to the next opponent in the next round of training. To strengthen it again, to be a little better, to stay on the way. Strength and honor. Take care. Keep it going. That’s what we were born to do. Overcome, overcome, overcome. Win over ourselves and over others. Move forward, overall. May it go well for everyone out there. Hang in there. God bless.”
