Jan Blachowicz is not pleased with Jiri Prochazka’s decision to pursue a Glover Teixeira rematch for his first UFC title defense.
After Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) claimed the light heavyweight title with a fifth-round submission of Teixeira (33-8 MMA, 16-6 UFC) at UFC 275 in June, the frontrunner for the next crack at gold appeared to be Blachowicz (29-9 MMA, 12-6 UFC).
The former champ Blachowicz is coming off a win over Aleksandar Rakic after losing the strap to Teixeira in September, and he and Prochazka both agreed a showdown made sense. But then Teixeira began to push hard for an immediate rematch, and the narrative changed.
Prochazka posted a video to his social media on Monday and said he agrees with the idea of a rematch, and wants to give a better performance than his original meeting with Teixeira. Naturally, that upset Blachowicz (via Twitter):
"Jan is for me the biggest challenge" – your words.
Respect you Champ, but the samurai code was not upheld.— Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) July 11, 2022
“Jan is for me the biggest challenge” – your words.
Respect you Champ, but the samurai code was not upheld.
After Prochazka defeated Teixeira in a Fight of the Year candidate, he had a cageside confrontation with Blachowicz. It appeared to perfectly set the stage for a fight, but Prochazka now seems to feel stronger about the rematch.
We know what all the athletes involved in this scenario, but it remains to be seen how the UFC brass view the best path forward at 205 pounds.
