Jiri Prochaska and Aleksandar Rakić at UFC 300 ceremonial weigh-in Credit: Gabriel Gonzalez/Cageside Press
That wasn’t the case with former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochaska, but Aleksandar Rakic is betting on the pair’s UFC 300 centerpiece preliminary card fight for the title of “King of Europe.” he claimed.
With Prochaska from the Czech Republic and Rakic from neighboring Austria, the pair were arguably two of the most talented fighters in the region. But what Saturday’s 205-pound contest really meant was the contender’s return to the light heavyweight mix. Prochaska lost to Alex Pereira and Rakic was coming back from a setback and injury inside the cage.
Early on, Rakic made his game plan clear. Just as Pereira had done earlier, Rakic tore Prochaska’s leg inside the round and appeared to be in danger. By hampering the former champion’s mobility, Rakic was able to literally beat him with his feet. Prochaska didn’t get going until the end of the round, landing a right hand and tagging Rakic herself, following up with a flying knee that missed.
Early in the second round, Jiri Prochaska landed a head kick that was then blocked. Rakic answered with his right hand, his main weapon. The Austrian landed a moment later and was similarly grazed with an elbow. Prochaska started attacking at about 90 seconds, drawing Rakic into a shootout and throwing another head kick that was blocked. The onslaught continued and Rakic quickly pulled himself up. Prochaska continued to attack with momentum, chasing him across the cage and hitting him with left and right punches, followed by his knees. At one point, Prochaska virtually pushed Rakic to the mat and, once on top, he landed a significant amount of ground and pound until referee Herb Dean deemed it appropriate to stop the bout.
This fight is crazy!!! #UFC300 pic.twitter.com/M4ekB4JLTP
— UFC (@ufc) April 14, 2024
After the win, Prochaska addressed Rakic’s comments about him not being a samurai. The Czech said he’s not a samurai, but he lives by samurai ideals and hopes to be the winner of the UFC 300 main event next.
Official result: Jiri Prochaska def. Aleksandar Rakić, round 2, 3:17 TKO
