Jan Blachowicz certainly loves fighting. He remains focused on his title defense against Glover Teixeira this Saturday night at UFC 267, but he knows there’s plenty of talent in the 205-pound division.
One name that keeps coming up – and rightly so, given that he’s the backup for the UFC 267 headliner – is Jiri Prochazka. Prochazka, a knockout artist prone to spectacular finishes like the spinning elbow, is in serious contention to challenge for Blachowicz’s title soon.
Blachowicz Looks Forward to Fighting Jiri Prochazka, But Only in Europe
Blachowicz discussed the potential for a bout with Prochazka with MMAFighting.com, and explained why he would have to do the fight in Europe. He was particularly impressed with Prochazka’s twin knockout victories over former title contenders Dominick Reyes and Volkan Oezdemir.
“Great run for him.He’s a crazy fighter but in a good way. Crazy, weird style but he knows how to use it. I believe I will fight against Glover and then maybe in the future with Jiri, but somewhere in Europe.
If I have to fight Jiri, we have to do it in Poland or somewhere in Europe, because all of Europe would like to come and see this fight live.
First of all, I have to beat Glover. The focus is on him. I hope so. Nothing will change cause when I beat Glover, maybe my next opponent will be Jiri, but this fight has to not be in Abu Dhabi, not in USA, in Europe.”
Blachowicz would clearly love to fight in his native Poland, and with Jiri Prochazka hailing from the nearby Czech Republic, a UFC Europe event would certainly turn heads. MMA has garnered a steady, loyal following in Eastern Europe, particularly considering Blachowicz’s success as well as that of Dagestanis Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.
Blachowicz has a specific wish for the fight if it happens. “If this fight will happen, I hope it will be in Poland in the national stadium — 60,000 people will come to watch this fight.”
He was also complimentary of Prochazka’s “weird” fighting style. “Weird style, crazy style, nice to watch.Against me, I think it’s going to be a good fight. Maybe in the future, we will see.
I’m very excited because we still have good fighters, young fighters. They come to the UFC and they motivate me to go to the gym and train hard. I want to say thanks to Jiri, thanks to [Aleksandr] Rakic because they motivate me to be the champion. To go and train hard.”
Do you want to see Blachowicz vs Prochazka? Let us know in the comments.
Remember to stay up to date with the latest news on TheOvertimer. Don’t forget to visit ScreenJuicer for great videos, news, and gameplay!
