2023-09-25 10:04:01
After weeks of speculation, the topic of a light heavyweight title match finally broke at the end of last week. On November 11, he will bring the Czech fighter Jiří Procházka and the Brazilian Alex Pereira to New York’s Madison Square Garden, who will battle it out for the vacant belt in the main preliminary match of the UFC 295 tournament. And it is the former division champion American Hill who has a clear message for both gladiators. “Warm my throne until I return! I’m the king here,” he said.
And he continued. “We’ll see who will sit on the throne in the end,” said the overseas fighter on his YouTube channel, where he was mainly speaking about the title fight. “It makes me feel certain because I’m not the champion anymore. And I think a lot of people were confused by the process of me deciding to release the title. The reason was the fact that when Jiří released the belt, it was almost immediately. The UFC was thus able to quickly order a fight for the vacant title,” he explains.
The original plan was a battle between Hill and Procházek. But the curse of the light heavyweight division brought a serious injury on the part of the American, who ruptured his Achilles tendon during a basketball game with friends. Suddenly, there was not only a long pause, but the already mentioned sympathetic release of the title among the other contenders. The next in line, the experienced Brazilian Pereira, took the chance to fight for him.
“It’s a good match. Both have an exciting fighting style, they have had great fights. They are the warriors I wanted to meet during my reign on the throne. And I still plan to do it after my return. I just don’t like the fact that it’s them going against each other,” regrets Hilla, who analyzed the advantages of both fighters.
“I think Pereira’s shots are more accurate to beat you. He likes to apply pressure and constantly shoot at the opponent,” Hill rather believes in the Brazilian’s victory. “Jiří, on the other hand, has crazy unorthodox things. Moreover, he is used to this weight category. In my opinion, he is also better in grappling, where he feels more comfortable. He should also feel better in clinches. It is likely that he will throw Pereira to the ground and maybe finish him there. As they say, he will follow the path of least resistance,” he describes a possible variant of the fight.
He would not want to miss the famous Madison Square Garden. “I plan to. I’ll go there and watch and see what happens. Then I look the new champion in the eye to see what awaits him. I don’t even have to say anything. We’ll just look at each other, because at that moment, everything will be known,” says the thirty-two-year-old native of Chicago mysteriously.
In the previous days, Procházka returned from an adventurous mission in Iceland, where he spent less than a week. During this trip, he fulfilled media duties, but also tried his hand at training alongside the legendary fighter Gunnar Nelson. Of course, the extraction of energy from the local nature could not be missing either. The walk, for example, covered the ascents to the mountains, and he also took a close look at the waterfalls. “Fully loaded! Now is the time to sharpen the blades!” said the native of Hostěradice, who will soon face the hardest part of the preparations. Around the end of October, a flight to New York will follow.
The seasoned Pereira is also looking forward to the fight. “I’m super excited. I’m sure it will be a blast. I think no one will regret watching it,” thinks the Brazilian. “Jiří is a seasoned guy. Everyone knows him, the former champion. His style can be a little tricky, but I have a lot of experience and I’m used to this type of fighter. I know he’s no slouch on earth. But I’m ready for anything.”
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