"I saw the spirit of Alex" - Jiri Prochazka explains why he was not surprise with Alex Pereira's quick win over Magomed Ankalaev

Alex Pereia finishing Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320. [Image courtesy: Getty]
Alex Pereira finishing Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320. [Image courtesy: Getty]

Jiri Prochazka recently shared his thoughts on Alex Pereira's victory over Magomed Ankalaev, stating that he was not at all surprised by the outcome of the fight.

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'Poatan' faced Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 320, where he defeated the Dagestani fighter via TKO in the opening round, reclaiming the light heavyweight title. Prochazka, who was in attendance at the event, appeared quite emotional as he witnessed Pereira's victory.

In an interview with MMA Fighting, Prochazka was asked if he was surprised to see Pereira defeat Ankalaev. In response, the Czech fighter said:

"No, no, I was not so surprised. Because when I saw Alex in the [UFC Performance Institute] and I saw how he was in shape and how his training was going. And yeah, I saw the spirit of Alex and I saw the spirit of Ankalaev, then I said to myself, 'Man, this is like another story than before. Their first fight, what I watched, it was really like, I said to myself, 'Man, that's something bad with him because he’s just keeping himself a little bit back.' So, I'm happy that he won, but that's all."
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Check out Jiri Prochazka's comments below (0:46):

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Alex Pereira's team expresses admiration for Jiri Prochazka while teasing trilogy bout

Jiri Prochazka faced Alex Pereira twice in the UFC. Although he lost both fights, Prochazka maintained a professional demeanor and refrained from engaging in any trash talk directed at Pereira. In contrast, the buildup to UFC 320 was quite different, with Magomed Ankalaev taking several shots at 'Poatan'.

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As a result, when Pereira's coach, Glover Teixeira, met Prochazka backstage at UFC 320, they expressed admiration for the Czech fighter while hinting at the possibility of a trilogy matchup between Pereira and Prochazka.

"Hey Jiri, the other camp was very weird to us, you know? Like, the way they talk, the way they laugh, you know? Like, weird camp. No respect. The coach listen, if he talks to Alex, right? He's gonna step it up for the gang. We don't talk, right? If I talk sh*t about Jiri, I'm not gonna step it up and go with him. When I fought him, maybe I could. But for you guys, we probably gonna see next, maybe, I don't know what's gonna happen. But you're the next guy, man. And all respect for you guys." [H/t: FULL SEND MMA on X]

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Edited by Nilaav Gogoi
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