Dana White details Jiri Prochazka’s horrific shoulder injury that forced him to vanquish the light heavyweight throne
A serious shoulder injury forced UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka to relinquish his title, UFC president Dana White told ESPN. The 30-year-old Prochazka (29-3-1) was supposed to defend his title against the 24-year-old Glover Teixeira at UFC 282 on December 10 in Las Vegas. On Wednesday, he posted to Instagram that he was giving up the title because he had injured his shoulder while training for the Teixeira fight. Prochazka has said he needs surgery and will be out for at least six months, with his estimated time of recovery exceeding a year.
Dana White recently discussed the incident in a podcast with Paddy Pimblett, but few specifics have been made public until now. He claims it occurred while Prochazka’s coaches were attempting a do-it-yourself repair of the injured shoulder in the gym.
“That night when it all went down and we had our doctor look at him, the doctor literally said in all the years at the UFC, this is the worst shoulder injury we’ve ever seen. It’s pretty nasty and him being the f**ing savage that he is, he still wanted to fight. He said, ‘I could do it…’ No. You can’t fight, kid. “What happened was, it popped out and he had some guys there at the gym (who tried to put it back in). And they f—ng ripped the shit out of it and destroyed his shoulder.”
Why did Glover Teixeira turn down a fight against Magomed Ankalaev when his rematch against Jiri Prochazka fell apart?
The UFC offered Glover Teixeira a fight against surging contender Magomed Ankalaev for the now-vacant light heavyweight throne, but the Brazilian declined. Teixeira wanted time to prepare for the completely different stylistic matchup, however, the UFC could not hold back the division.
Speaking with ESPN, Teixeira further shed light on the decision:
“I told them I needed more time for this guy, that he has a different style. The guy is a southpaw. I said, ‘What about fighting him in Brazil’ (at UFC 283)? They denied that and said they needed someone to fight in Vegas. I said, ‘OK, I’ll fight Jan in Vegas. If you’re going to throw me off, Jan has a regular stance. Ankalaev is a totally different game. I need more time.”
Furthermore, he added: “I think I’ll fight the winner of the two, because I’m still the No. 1 contender. But they can take anybody they want. They can take someone not even ranked to fight for the title, because it’s their company.”
The way he sees it, this could probably be his last shot at the title and Glover Teixeira does not wants to leave any stones unturned in preparation:
“This could be my last chance to fight for the title. I want to win this belt. I’m training like a maniac. I am a professional. Every time I show up, I put on a great fight. Win or lose, I’m not going to go in there and just show up to fight a guy because they say so. This is a dangerous game, and I need to prepare myself the best I can. My family is watching me. I have a lot of students in the gym watching me. I need to be professional. So, I am 100 percent behind the decision I made.”
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