How did Jiri Prochazka lose his belt if he's undefeated in the UFC? MMA record of the former light heavyweight champion

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka is on the cusp of a potential title redemption as he is gearing up to take on former middleweight champion Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 295, set to take place on November 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Originally slated as the co-main event for UFC 295, the 205-pound title fight took center stage after Jon Jones withdrew from his UFC heavyweight title showdown against Stipe Miocic due to a shoulder injury, resulting in its promotion to the evening's main event.

With just three UFC fights on his record, Prochazka is about to make his second bid for a UFC title. Prochazka clinched the light heavyweight gold by submitting then-champion Glover Teixeira with a last-minute rear-naked choke at UFC 275 in July 2022.

However, back in November 2022, the 31-year-old Czech faced a substantial setback due to a severe shoulder injury that kept him out of action for an entire year. As a gesture of respect for the division and recognition of the gravity of his injury, Prochazka opted to voluntarily relinquish his title.

Regrettably for Jiri Prochazka, his scheduled rematch with Teixeira at UFC 282 in December 2022 was scrapped, allowing Jamahal Hill to step in and contend for a title that 'BJP' hadn't lost. Hill did manage to secure victory over the Brazilian at UFC 283 in January but encountered a similar setback to Prochazka in July when he suffered an Achilles rupture.

Jiri Prochazka holds a professional record of 29-3-1, with a UFC record of 3-0, and out of those, 25 wins came via KO/TKO.

---

Henry Cejudo analyzes Jiri Prochazka's gaps against Alex Pereira

Former UFC two-division champion Henry Cejudo cautions Jiri Prochazka against being reckless when facing Alex Pereira.

While Prochazka's UFC record includes impressive wins over Volkan Oezdemir, Dominick Reyes, and Glover Teixeira with his aggressive approach. However, in a recent video on his YouTube channel, Cejudo pointed out that Prochazka tends to absorb clean shots, a risk he can't afford against an opponent as powerful as 'Poatan':

"The technique, as good as you are with everything, there’s one area where I feel like you really need to get better at – two areas. Your defense, with your hands: I don’t like seeing you get hit because that may cost you against a guy like Alex Pereira. Then the other thing, too, is your takedown defense. Your takedown defense is still a little suspect."

Check out Cejudo's comments below (from 15:22):