Jiří Procházka shuts down megafight – is this REALLY the reason?!

UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka and UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Photo via Intagram (@jirkaprochazka) and (stylebender)

In March 2021, dominant middleweight champion Israel Adesanya moved up to light heavyweight to challenge then-light heavyweight title holder Jan Blachowicz. Even though Izzy failed to reach double champion status in that fight, he’s positive that he will give 205 another shot further down the road.

“I’ll lap the division again, and then I’ll go back up at some point just for my own – maybe a little bit of ego, but yeah, just because I can do it,” Adesanya said at the UFC 281 media day.

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Light heavyweight champ Jiri Prochazka not interested

However, light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka did not seem intrigued by the idea of facing Adesanya at 205. During a recent press conference he explained why.

“I’m not interested in this fight, because we share management and the people around,” Procházka said. “I respect him.”

It’s very unusual that fighters turned down a potential superfight like Procházka turned down Adesanya based on just having the same management.

Light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka will make his first title defence in a rematch with Glover Teixeira at UFC 282 – the promotion’s final pay-per-view event of the year – on December 10.

The light heavyweights clashed in a Fight of the Year contender at UFC 275 in June, where Prochazka was able to pull off a fifth-round submission win with just 30 seconds left of the fight.

Read more: Jiri Prochazka praises Alexander Gustafsson ahead of UFC 282: “Still a very dangerous man”

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