"I kinda agree" - Fans react to Jiri Prochazka's prediction for potential Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev fight

Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka recently went on The Ariel Helwani Show to talk about his life and his upcoming battle with fellow former divisional champ Jamahal Hill at UFC 311. On January 18, the two former champions will fight for a possible spot at challenging for the gold again.

At the moment, that place is held by no.1-ranked Magomed Ankalaev, who is largely considered to be the next in line to challenge Alex Pereira for the belt. It is also largely speculated that Ankalaev's Dagestani wrestling background may pose a huge problem for 'Poatan'.

When asked if the Dagestani warrior has a chance against the champion, Jiri Prochazka said (Via The Ariel Helwani Show]:

"I think, no. Especially if he [Ankalaev] fights - like he said - just in stand-up. Sorry, no. If Alex [Pereira] will be in his shape like what he showed in his last fight, 100% no."

MMA Orbit reported on Prochazka's prediction on X:

Some fans are on Magomed Ankalaev's side, with @ZinfamousHD saying:

"I kinda agree. My gripe with Ankalaev is his fight IQ... It's the main reason why I'm more bullish on Pereira beating him than I was about a year ago."

Meanwhile, @M7gs_ said:

"I agree with him, Ankalaev Easy fight for Alex"

Here are more comments:

More comments on the post. [Image credit: @mma_orbit on X]

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Jiri Prochazka reveals he's currently studying at university while still fighting

Jiri Prochazka surprised Ariel Helwani by revealing that he's a student at the Masaryk Sports Univerity. Currently in his final year, the Czech warrior recently visited Mexico as part of his laboratory exam. It is quite remarkable that he became a world champion while juggling his schedule training and studying.

Prochazka explained to Helwani why he visited Mexico in relation to his studies (1:41):

"I went there because [of the] high altitude. I wanted to do that because...in my university I'm doing the part of the final exams. There's a study [that] I needed to do. One of those studies [was] how efficient is the high-altitude training in the preparation of MMA fighters. That's my laboratory [exam] and I wanted to do that. I wanted to train there in these high altitudes to know how it is and it was amazing."

Perhaps after he's hung up the gloves for good, Jiri Prochazka can apply his sense of samurai-like dedication to sports science research and advancement. With his wealth of experience in true combat and athletic competition, his involvement in the field would be valuable.

Listen to his guesting here: