This past weekend at UFC 275, we saw one of the greatest title fights of all time in the main event. The light heavyweight title was on the line as Jiri Prochazka (29-3-1) was trying to become champion by dethroning Glover Teixeira (33-8).
Conventional wisdom said that the path to victory for Prochazka was on the feet and for Teixeira it was on the ground. Well, we saw that play out from the opening bell. Prochazka looked good on his feet at UFC 275, but Teixeira was suffocating with his ground attack.
Throughout the first two rounds, Teixeira was able to secure dominant grappling positions and he bloodied the challenger. However, in the third round, Prochazka turned things around and looked like he was close to finishing Teixeira on the feet.
The fourth round featured more back-and-forth action. Entering the fifth at UFC 275, it seemed pretty clear that Prochazka needed a finish. Well, it was Teixeira that looked close to finishing the fight in the opening minute.
Teixeira rocked Prochazka badly on the feet, but made a huge mistake but jumping a guillotine. It didn’t pan out, and both men spent the majority of the round trading top position on the ground. Then, with just 30 seconds left, Prochazka locked up a miracle submission and got the tap to become the first UFC champion from the Czech Republic.
What’s next after UFC 275?
First things first for both men and that’s some time to recover. That was an absolute war and both men looked like they were close to getting finished a number of times throughout the course of the five rounds.
Jiri Prochazka is now the light heavyweight champion and there are some options for his first title defense. One option is former champion Jan Blachowicz. The Polish Power and Prochazka could have a showdown in Europe that would generate a ton of interest around the continent.
Personally, I think that’s the leading option for the UFC. Another option would be to run it back with Teixeira. Teixeira was the champion and had he made it just 28 seconds longer, he would have won a decision.
Given the entertainment value of the fight and the closeness, I could see Teixeira getting an immediate rematch. The other option to watch is either Anthony Smith or Magomed Ankalaev. Those two fight next month and Dana White hinted that the winner could get a UFC title shot.
Should one of them make a massive statement, they could jump the previous two option. What do you think? In the comments, let us know who you think should be next for Jiri Prochazka.