In the featured matchup on the main card of UFC 320 tomorrow night, we are going to see a massive matchup in the light heavyweight division. Former champion Jiri Prochazka (31-5-1) is back as he takes on former title challenger Khalil Rountree (14-6).
Heading into the event, this is my pick for fight of the night as it just looks like it promises violence. Starting out with the former champion, he’s doing everything he can to climb back into the title picture.
We haven’t seen Prochazka since January when he returned against Jamahal Hill. After a back-and-forth fight, Prochazka put his foot on the gas and stopped Hill in the third round. In the UFC, Prochazka is 5-2 with five finishes and he’s only lost to one man, Alex Pereira.
Khalil Rountree will try to become the second man to beat Prochazka inside the octagon. Like Prochazka, Rountree’s latest win came against Jamahal Hill. Unlike Prochazka’s win, Rountree’s win was not nearly as exciting. While he dropped Hill a couple of teams, Rountree was very technical and the fight never got crazy.
It was a great bounce back win for Rountree after he lost his title shot at UFC 307 to Alex Pereira last October. Prior to that title shot, Rountree had won five fights in a row.
UFC 320 Prediction
This fight is going to come down to one thing for me and that’s the chin of Jiri Prochazka. Khalil Rountree doesn’t fight well off his back foot and I’m fully expecting him to have to fight that way in this fight. Prochazka is going to come forward using his awkward movement throughout the fight.
The one thing about the former UFC champion is that he gets hit. He gets hit a lot in his fights, but outside of Alex Pereira, nobody has been able to finish him. If he can take Rountree’s best shots, I think Prochazka is going to win this fight.
I just see his forward pressure overwhelming Rountree in a sense. I’m banking on Prochazka’s chin holding up and I think he turns it on in the third round where he’ll find the finishing touches to give him the big victory.
Prediction: Jiri Prochazka by TKO
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