Jiri Prochazka vs Alex Pereira Preview & Picks
Jiri Prochazka is backed to become a two-time light-heavyweight champion.
Both men are dangerous strikers, but the key to victory here could come in the ground game.
Prochazka has the edge and if he can get Alex Pereira down, we are likely to see a submission finish.
- Jiri Prochazka is on a 13-fight win streak
- 25 of Prochazka’s 29 career wins have come by stoppage
- Prochazka beat Glover Teixeira by submission in his last fight
- Both of Alex Pereira’s career losses have been by stoppage (1 Sub, 1 KO)
Jiri Prochazka Form
Jiri Prochazka is a former UFC light-heavyweight champion with a professional record of 29-3-1 (25 KOs, 3 Subs).
Prochazka signed with the UFC in 2020 after a successful run with the Rizin promotion that saw him stop a bunch of notable names.
In his debut fight for the UFC he took on former light-heavyweight title contender Volkan Oezdemir, and he made an immediate splash with a second-round knockout win.
The 31-year-old Czech earned ‘Performance of the Night’ honours for that win, and won both that award and ‘Fight of the Night’ in his second bout.
Prochazka knocked out Dominic Reyes in the second round to earn himself a shot at the light-heavyweight title.
He took his big chance too, submitting veteran champion Glover Teixeira with less than 30 seconds left in the bout.
The Czech fighter won ‘Fight of the Night’ and ‘Fight of the Year’ honours for that win, but his reign was brought to an abrupt end when he was sidelined by injury in late 2022.
Alex Pereira Form
Alex Pereira is a former UFC middleweight champion with a professional record of 8-2 (6 KOs).
Pereira made the move to MMA after a successful run as a kickboxer, and was able to rebound from a rough debut that saw him get submitted.
He won four straight fights in the minor leagues to earn a shot at the UFC, and in his first outing he knocked out Andreas Michailidis in the second round.
‘Poatan’ then earned a unanimous decision win against Bruno Silva, before securing a middleweight title fight with a first-round knockout of Sean Strickland.
Pereira was able to end the long reign of Israel Adesanya with a fifth-round TKO victory, transferring his kickboxing success against ‘The Last Stylebender’ over to the MMA ranks.
However, in the rematch back in April he was knocked out in the second round by Adesanya.
The 36-year-old Brazilian moved up to light-heavyweight after that loss, and made a successful debut in July when he edged former champion Jan Blachowicz by split decision.