Jiri Prochazka’s rise in the Octagon has silenced early doubters like Michael Chandler.
The former RIZIN light heavyweight champion made his UFC debut in 2020, immediately standing out with his unorthodox fighting style.
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Prochazka started strong, knocking out Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 251. He hasn’t slowed down since, using a series of impressive performances to climb the ranks and claim several big wins at 205 pounds.
With that fight coming up this weekend, it’s a good time to revisit what other fighters were saying about him when he first made the jump to the UFC six years ago.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Reactions were split when UFC 327’s Jiri Prochazka knocked out Volkan Oezdemir in his first fight
When he first joined the UFC, Prochazka had already racked up 23 knockouts in 26 wins. Even with a strong reputation from his time fighting in Asia, most fans in North America didn’t know much about him.
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That quickly changed after his impressive showing against Oezdemir on ‘Fight Island’. His unorthodox striking style drew plenty of attention, and some well-known fighters were quick to take notice.
Michael Chiesa: “Win or lose, I’m a fan of Jiri at this point. I love the antics.”
Sodiq Yusuff: “This is a very different style…I dig it.”
Stephen Thompson: “Woooooow!!!”
Derrick Lewis: “Swang and bang!!!!!”
Sean O’Malley: “Ouch.”
Megan Anderson voiced concerns about how low Prochazka kept his hands, while Brian Kelleher simply called him wild.
Dennis Bermudez also weighed in by calling him a weird fighter.
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