In the UFC 275: Teixeira vs Prochazka headliner, Glover Teixeira had the opportunity to defend his light heavyweight title against relative UFC newcomer Jiri Prochazka, who was only making his third walk to the Octagon. With dominating knockout victories over Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes, two of the UFC’s current 15 light heavyweights, Prochazka jumped the line to the title.
A minute into the first round, Teixeira proved his level of wrestling continued to work against nearly every opponent, taking Prochazka to the mat while constantly looking for submissions. Towards the end of the round, Prochazka reversed positions and threw ground and pound strikes to the horn. It was a promising sign for the Czech star, showing that he could withstand maximum pressure from Teixeira while still finding success in his own right on the mat.
After a similar five minutes in the second, Prochazka started to turn things around in the third, controlling Teixeira to the mat while landing ruthless ground strikes. Teixeira found his balance between rounds and regained control in the fourth, putting him three rounds ahead on two of the judges’ scorecards.
Both men bloodied, visibly tired and still recovering from many points where they both could have been finished, the two warriors embraced in the middle of the Octagon and delivered one of the most exciting rounds of the year.
A massive right hand from Teixeira just 30 seconds into the round stunned Prochazka against the cage and nearly put him on his feet, but the Brazilian ended up making the costliest decision of the night, pulling the guillotine and falling to the mat, allowing Prochazka to break free and instantly be in first position.
Later in the round, Prochazka launched the cage, reversing positions and taking control. Jiri started landing heavy punches, waiting for Teixeira to make a mistake in wrestling exchanges to find a submission. With just 30 seconds left in the final round, Prochazka locked in a rear naked choke, forcing the tap.
After such an incredible performance from both fighters, an immediate rematch was needed. At UFC 282 on December 10, they will meet again, this time with Prochazka defending his light heavyweight title in the main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson 1
UFC 165 – September 21, 2013
(Watch on UFC Fight Pass)
