JIRI PROCHAZKA has gone from headlining ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena’ to the prelims – but that won’t stop him from stealing the show at UFC 300.
The beloved Czech clubber topped the UFC 295 bill at Madison Square Garden a mere four months ago in his ill-fated bid to reclaim the light-heavyweight title.
Prochazka resumes his road back to the belt – which he vacated in November 2022 – next weekend at UFC 300 in Las Vegas, where he’ll face Aleksandar Rakic.
For the first time in his brief UFC career, the fan favourite will find himself competing in the prelims – one fight before the main card opener between Bo Nickal and Cody Brundage.
The placing of the fight raised eyebrows, with many MMA fans saying undefeated middleweight prospect Nickal was benefitting from “Dana White privilege”.
Prochazka, however, could care little about where his Sin City showdown with Rakic falls on the historic card.
In an exclusive interview with SunSport, he said: “I think everybody who is on that event deserves to be on the main card.
“Because everybody is a top fighter from the UFC. So for me, I don’t care.
“I don’t care there or there [gestures up and down with his hands].”
Barring his defeat to reigning light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, Prochazka has had a penchant for stealing the show with viral moments.
And he plans to remind the UFC brass why he’s worthy of higher billing with another highlight-reel moment.
He vowed: “I will show that to the people, to the UFC that I have to be on the main card, in the main event every time.
“For me, my fight – every time I fight – is the main event. It’s the title fight.
“So for me, it doesn’t matter where it is [on the card] that fight.
“That’s all, that’s all.”
Finishing divisional mainstay Rakic will be no easy feat, although the Brno bruiser is adamant there will be no liftoff for ‘The Rocket’ in their desert dust-up.
“I see there are many points and many spaces to find a target on Alek,” Prochazka said. “Like every time, I have to, I want and I will and I’m able to rule the space in the octagon.
“To keep my hunting pressure all the time and find a target and win the fight in the fastest way I can.
“It doesn’t matter if it will be in the first second of the fight or the last second of the last round.”
