The coach of former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka has suggested a move to middleweight for his pupil off the back of UFC 303.
Prochazka suffered a second-round knockout loss to Alex Pereira, a fight he took on short notice after Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler was cancelled.
This is the second time in eight months that the 31-year-old has been finished by ‘Poatan’, after their bout at UFC 295 in November.
His coach, Martin Karaivanov, speaking to TNCZ, claimed that his student was ready and prepared but could not get into the match.
He said: “Everything was fine, I don’t know what happened. Jiri himself said afterward that he couldn’t get into the match.
“This time, everything was great before the match. Everything was in sync, Jiri was really ready. We wouldn’t have taken (it on) short notice if we weren’t sure he was ready,”
“We’ll take a look at the recording, recap what happened, and draw consequences for the next training sessions. We’re certainly not done, we’re continuing.”
Could 185lbs Be on the Horizon for Jiri Prochazka?
Prochazka has now lost two of his last three fights, with a third fight against Pereira looking unlikely.
In the aftermath of the bout, the Czech claimed that he either needs to “evolve or retire”, and a move to middleweight could be the start of this evolution
He has never competed professionally at 185lbs, but Karaivanov has alluded to a potential move down soon.
Karaivanov continued: “If I can speak for myself, I see it now as a restart and a positive step toward something happening.
“He is still old enough to fit relatively well into middleweight. So of course we will talk about it. It will not just be my decision, but the team’s decision.
“Middleweight would give meaning as a new restart.”
Quotes via Bloody Elbow
Would Jiri Prochazka suit the middleweight division? Let us know in the comments below!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
