Jiri Prochazka has made some rather interesting accusations against Alex Pereira.
After Conor McGregor withdrew from his scheduled bout with Michael Chandler because of a toe injury, Prochazka and Pereira agreed to a last-minute title rematch in the main event of UFC 303 on Saturday.
The first time the two squared off was at UFC 295 in November 2023, when Pereira knocked out Prochazka in the second round in what could have been deemed an early stoppage. Pereira then defended his title with a first-round knockout win against Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in April of this year. However, the stoppage was also controversial due to the unique sequence leading up to the finish. Pereira was unconcerned about Hill’s accidental low blow, which stopped referee Herb Dean from pausing the bout just before he put “Sweet Dreams” to sleep. Hill accused Pereira of taking advantage of the awkward sequence to secure the win.
Based on what Prochazka saw of Pereira against him and Hill, “BJP” believes the Brazilian is using “spiritual help” to win fights. The Czech Republic native even doubts whether Pereira could win without the help of a shaman from his homeland. Prochazka admits he believes in magic, but wants to win based on “human performance.”
“I think he believes in the help of the mental stuff, and I don’t think he could fight without it. Because I want to make a clear distinction: sports performance, pure performance, man vs man. And he [doesn’t] know [how] “He’s always used these things, he couldn’t fight without them, so now I’m looking forward to it,” Prochaska said.
“MMA Hour”
“We all know that Alex works with shamans and shamans back home and gets spiritual help from them. I believe too, but I believe in non-magic, I believe in the best performance, human performance, here and now. Let’s see if Alex still works that way, because it’s working. But I believe in a clear way, and I intend to do it, and I want to win that way.”
