Thousands of fans turned out in the Czech Republic town of Brno yesterday to celebrate the beginning of Jiri Prochazka’s UFC light-heavyweight reign.
When the 29-year-old submitted Glover Teixeira to secure the 205-pound strap at UFC 275, he became the first Czech UFC champion in history – an accolade clearly worthy of celebration in that part of Eastern Europe.
With no clear-cut number one contender, it’s as yet unclear who Prochazka will stand opposite in his first title defense. Teixeira has called for an immediate rematch, and former champ Jan Blachowicz also put his name forth for the challenge.
It seems unlikely we’ll see a hard decision anytime soon either. A top-five 205-pound clash is currently looming at UFC 277 between Anthony Smith and Muhammad Ankalaev. Should either contender end that fight with an emphatic finish, they may see their name thrown in the hat for the light-heavyweight sweepstakes.
The AllStar MMA roundup
- The AllStar’s John Hyon Ko files the latest edition of his Fight or Flight Blog Series: Phase 1, as he continues his journey towards his first MMA fight.
- Zhang Mingyang wants to pave the way for bigger Chinese fighters to succeed in the UFC
- How does it feel to spar with UFC champ Alex Volkanovski?
- Tai Tuivasa on future with WWE: “F*ck yeah, I’ll be the new Rikishi”
- Opinion: Who deserved to win: Valentina Shevchenko or Taila Santos? An insider’s take
The best of the rest
- Marina Rodriguez responds to Dana White, calls out Rose Namajunas for UFC 281 – MMAFighting.com
- Anthony Smith on Jiri Prochazka vs. Glover Teixeira: ‘I think both of those guys had the worst performances of their life’ – MMAFighting
- Sean O’Malley: Dominick Cruz will ‘be a little bit too fast, a little bit better’ than Marlon Vera – MMAJunkie.com
- Cody Garbrandt vs. Rani Yahya scratched from UFC Vegas 58 – BJPenn.com
The call
Not so much of a tip, but rising UFC lightweight star Terrance ‘T-wrecks’ McKinney put out a banger alert for this weekend on a fight that’s gone under the radar thus far…
“Damir [Ismagulov]’s fight’s gonna be a banger… That’s a must watch for sure.”
McKinney tells The AllStar’s Chris Ferguson
Lines presented by crypto sports book Cloudbet:
Damir Ismagulov (23-1) vs Guram Kutateladze (12-2)
Interesting lines
Jeremiah Wells has fallen to a +110 underdog after markets opened giving him the slight edge in his bout this Saturday with UFC veteran Court McGee. McGee now sits as the slight -112 favorite.
The morning view
Keep up with The AllStar’s John Hyon Ko in the latest episode of the Fight or Flight vlog
UFC Welterweight Jeremiah Wells says Edwards needs to put Usman to sleep to win a rematch
Morning Kombat’s Luke Thomas breaks down Jake Matthews’ masterclass UFC 275 performance
The story of Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller
The soapbox
Ali stirring the pot… or maybe he actually believes it?
El Cucuy gets back to work
Bully B feels a rug pull coming
50k back to it after his recent loss
Big Mouth with an effigy of his next opponent, Tim ‘Dirty Bird” Means
Reddit with the highlights to hype up the weekend ahead
Done deals
Today
- Takashi Sato to fight Bryan Battle (dropping to welterweight) at August 6th UFC event (per MMA Fighting)
This week
- Kamaru Usman to fight Leon Edwards at UFC 278 on August 20th (per UFC announcement)
- Alan Nascimento to fight Malcolm Gordon on August 13th UFC event (per MMA Junkie)
On this day in MMA…
On June 14, 2019, UFC hall of famer, Chael Sonnen retired from competitive mixed martial arts following a TKO loss via flying knee to ground and pound, at the hands of Lyoto Machida.
Coincidentally, that is Machida’s most recent win – in the years since the bout, the former UFC light-heavyweight champion has gone on a four-fight skid. He claimed after his most recent loss, just last month to Fabian Edwards – Leon Edwards’ younger brother – that he has no plans of retiring.
