As injured as his shoulder was, Jiri Prochazka did not want to withdraw from his UFC 282 title fight against Glover Teixeira.
“That was a very hard thing for me,” Prochazka said Monday on The MMA Hour. I don’t like to discuss a lot. But after a talk with the UFC, with the directors of UFC, I had to let the show must go on, and I respected it.
” I’m determined to be the champion. It doesn’t matter if I’m injured. It doesn’t really matter if I’m injured. My way is to be the best fighter in the world, not just in the light heavyweight division. So that’s why I vacated the title and wait for my moment to be in full power, and take it back.”
Prochazka made the move that set off a fight between Magomed Anakalaev, ex-champ Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Teixeira for the vacant title. After a split draw in the new UFC 282 headliner, the belt remains vacant, and ex-champ Glover Teixeira and Jamahal Hill will fight for it at UFC 283.
Some might see vindication for Prochazka in the way things worked out. That’s not a victory lap the former champ wants to take.
” What do you have to add to this? Everybody knows, and I don’t want to say everything is playing for me, like everything’s showing that I’m the champion,” he said. It doesn’t matter. I have released the title. Now, I want to focus on what I need to do next and how I can take back the title. Doesn’t matter.”
UFC President Dana White called Prochazka “stud” because she vacated the belt, despite her burning desire to box with a broken shoulder. This is something the former champ has not forgotten.
“[I was] I’m still thinking about the fact that I went to the fight because I believed that I could solve it [despite my injury],” Prochazka stated. “I can end it in the first or second round. To not be there longer than is necessary. But everybody knows the story about T.J. Dillashaw [at UFC 280]. So I want to be professional, and I want to be humble to my team around me, to the UFC, and to my opponent.”
Dillashaw, of course, drew the UFC’s ire when he fought bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280 with a badly damaged shoulder. He didn’t disclose his injury beforehand and was stopped in the second round.
Had this situation occurred, Prochazka doesn’t think he would have pulled out of the fight. But, he added, “I don’t want to think about that. It’s over, but I have said it many times that I was going to the fight with Glover because I believed I still had to win .”
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Prochazka’s shoulder already wasn’t 100 percent, as he found out after a full diagnosis of his shoulder. His fate was sealed during a regular sparring session for the Dec. 10 pay-per-view event, leading to an injury White called the worst-ever of its type.
“Everything was light, nobody did something wrong, but I did a mistake,” Prochazka said. “I let the guy take my back. “He did a right-side suplex on my shoulder. It was that .”
Ironically, Prochazka was in the gym with one of the men who would replace him at UFC 282. Ankalaev, at that time, was in training to co-feature with Blachowicz. Prochazka claimed that Ankalaev was the teammate who tried to reset his shoulder.
“The shoulder was out, and one guy, he put me that shoulder back — one of the Russian guys from Ankalaev’s team,” Prochazka said. “And after that, we went to the hospital.”
White claimed that Prochazka was injured by the doctor who performed the move. He said the move had “ripped the shitout of it” and “destroyed it”. He criticised fighters who tried gym fix and encouraged them to immediately go to hospital if they were injured.
The former champ is not interested in assigning blame.
“Nobody did something wrong — it was just my mistake,” he said. “I was not focused, so it was my fault.”
So extensive is Prochazka’s injury that the ex-champ struggles to recall all of its medical terminology. He’s certain it isn’t completely new.
” In my last fight I felt the right shoulder hurt, it was a very painful experience. I believe there was some other problem before this, which is why we think that our shoulder was finished. “This time, I will use it to be stronger.”
There are divergent diagnoses on the timeline for Prochazka’s return. The ex-champ said he’ll be out no longer than six months while noting that others have urged a longer layoff of eight to nine months. Whatever initial healing needs to be done, more time will be added to get back in shape, and then there is training for the next fight.
At this point, Prochazka can only make a prediction about when he’ll compete again.
” Many people believe it is necessary to maintain it for eight to nine months. But, I am a good person and can repair it within three to four months. “There is nothing in my life … where something is not possible. If I take it like a target, I will work on it 24 hours, day and night. Doesn’t matter.
“I believe there is in mankind, a power that we can use, with all the humility and all the power, just believe it. I will be back as soon as possible, stronger than ever.”
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/12/19/23517413/jiri-prochazka-details-how-he-injured-shoulder-why-t-j-dillashaw-influenced-decision-to-not-fight?rand=96749
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