Later this month, the UFC was scheduled to have a fight night headlined by a light heavyweight matchup between Dominick Reyes (12-2) and Jiri Prochazka (27-3-1). With the upcoming light heavyweight title fight at UFC 259 in March, this fight was huge for the division.
However, Reyes sustained an injury and the fight was called off. The UFC wanted to keep this matchup together so they didn’t even entertain a potential new opponent for Prochazka. Instead, they began to work on a new date that would work with Reyes’ recovery.
Well, today we learned when that fight will take place. MMA Fighting was the first to report that the UFC has booked the fight between Prochazka and Reyes for a new date. The light heavyweight matchup will now take place on May 1st.
Given the new timeline, this could actually be more beneficial for the winner in terms of getting a title shot. Glover Teixeira (32-7) is number one contender in the light heavyweight division. He’s been told that he’s getting the next title shot after UFC 259.
Depending on how the fight goes in a few weeks, Teixeira might be getting his shot over the summer. That would line up perfectly for the winner of the Reyes – Prochazka fight. I could definitely see the winner being the UFC‘s top contender after Glover Teixeira.
UFC title eliminator?
Prochazka made his UFC debut back on Fight Island in July. He took on former title challenger, Volkan Oezdemir. Prochazka showed off his entertaining style and knocked Oezdemir out cold in the second round of their fight.
He’s only lost one time since 2013 and he looks like he can be a force in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. 2020 was a very tough year for Dominick Reyes. He started out the year by taking on Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title.
The fight was razor close and many believed Reyes defeated the pound-for-pound king. However, the judges gave the fight to Jones. Then, Reyes got another title opportunity against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 253. Reyes got knocked out in the second round of that fight.
After starting his career 12-0, Reyes has now lost two-straight. He has a very difficult puzzle in front of him on May 1st. When these two fight, Reyes will either show he’s still one of the best or Jiri Prochazka will show everyone that he’s the real deal.