"I just tried to find the best way to take over" - Jiri Prochazka explains why he was “winning the fight” before Khalil Rountree’s finish at UFC 320

Jiri Prochazka recently shared his thoughts on the Khalil Rountree Jr. fight at UFC 320 and explained why he was "winning" the contest before getting the finish. The light heavyweight contender explained that he was beating Rountree Jr. in the opening two rounds despite taking some big shots from the American.

Prochazka and Rountree Jr. threw down in an exciting light heavyweight matchup at UFC 320 earlier this month. While Rountree Jr. held his own against Prochazka in the first two rounds, 'Denisa' found his rhythm in the final round and secured an impressive third-round knockout victory.

While many believe Rountree Jr. had the fight in his hands in the first two rounds, Prochazka doesn't believe so and explained his stance during an interview with Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. He said:

"On points, it was his rounds. But the game was in my hands. Maybe he threw more punches; he caught me a little bit. I just tried to find the best way to take over... I knew everything I was doing in the last round. I saw Khalil getting, step by step, worse and worse."

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Jiri Prochazka reflects on UFC 320 victory over "teacher" Khalil Rountree Jr.

Jiri Prochazka recently reflected on his fight against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 320 and lauded the American for being a "teacher" for him. Prochazka also thanked Rountree Jr. for being the opponent he had hoped for.

In an interview with Mike Heck for MMA Fighting (via @MMAFighting on X), the former light heavyweight champion said:

"The first thing I want to say to Khalil [is] thank you. Thank you for the amazing fight. Thank you. Because every time when you share the cage with some opponents, he's also your teacher because he's teaching you how to overcome him, how to overcome his attacks, how to learn, how to be better because that's what we are doing, because I'm sharpening him, he's sharpening me, you know, that's the point of the fighting to be better."

He continued:

"To be better as humans and to find a way to overcome somebody, even ourselves. So, first thing is I'm thankful to him, to share the cage with him and especially with him because there were not too many opponents who were dynamic and tough like him."

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