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Jiri Prochazka had a lot of potential opponents to choose from for his first UFC light heavyweight title defense, but the person 'The Czech Samurai' has chosen is Glover Teixeira.
Prochazka and Teixeira went to war at UFC 275, battling for nearly five full rounds until Prochazka secured a rear-naked choke, forcing Teixeira to tap. It was a shocking victory made all the better when it turned out Prochazka needed the submission to win. He was behind on two of the three judges' scorecards.
Now Prochazka is calling for a second fight against Teixeira. In a new video, he said:
"I made decide for next fight ... and I want to fight Glover the next fight. Not because it will be another big fight. But just one reason: my performance was bad the first fight. And I will show you why I'm the champion. Clearly, decisively. And I think Glover deserves it. So here's the offer. I will show you why I'm the champion."
Jiri Prochazka vs. Glover Teixeira was a Fight of the Year candidate. According to Michael Bisping, UFC execs were discussing the rematch almost as soon as the first fight was over. There's also no other clear contenders at 205 pounds in the wings waiting for an overdue title shot.
Jan Blachowicz recently beat Aleksandar Rakic, but his win had more to do with Rakic blowing his knee out than Blachowicz winning in impressive fashion. Anthony Smith and Magomed Ankalaev are set to fight at UFC 277 in a battle of top light heavyweights, and both men would need an impressive win to enter the title shot discussion.
Dana White agrees that Jiri Prochazka vs. Glover Teixeira was an "incredible fight"
Even as champion, Jiri Prochazka will still need the UFC to agree to a Glover Teixeira rematch. Fortunately, UFC president Dana White was already sounding half-convinced when asked about a second Prochazka vs. Teixeira fight leading up to UFC 276.
When TSN's Aaron Bronsteter asked about it, White said:
"I don't know, we'll see. But yeah, it makes sense. It was awesome. Awesome fight. It was an incredible fight, I literally watched it in a Sprinter van that night and was freaking out about that fight. And it absolutely makes sense to do that fight again, but we'll see what happens."
With Prochazka now calling for the rematch, it seems likely Teixeira will get a shot at winning his light heavyweight title back from the man that took it from him in June.
