Jiri Prochazka already has a fight set for the main card of UFC 320, but will also serve as the backup fighter for the main event.
On Oct. 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, former light heavyweight champion Prochazka (31-5-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has a matchup on the books against former title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. The main event of the pay-per-view is a 205-pound title rematch between champ Magomed Ankalaev and former champ Alex Pereira.
The UFC often labels a top contender as a backup fighter for a title fight in case something were to go wrong in the days ahead of the fight. Should the unthinkable happen, Prochazka will get the call. MMA Junkie confirmed the news following Prochazka’s interview on “The Ariel Helwani Show.”
In this case, with Prochazka already being on the card, he will not make an unnecessary weight cut. However, he will have to make the championship weight of 205 pounds in order to be eligible to win the title. Through seven UFC fights, Prochazka has only needed to use the one-pound allowance for non-title fights once.
Prochazka has history with one side of the main event, as he lost a vacant title fight to Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) at UFC 295, and failed to beat the Brazilian in a title rematch at UFC 303. The Czech Republic-born contender has not faced the current champion Ankalaev (21-1-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC).
Should Prochazka not be needed as a backup, the fight against Rountree Jr. (14-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) could produce the next No. 1 contender. In his last outing, Prochazka rebounded from the second loss to Pereira by stopping Jamahal Hill in the third round at UFC 311.
