Jiri Prochazka submitted more USADA samples in 2022 than most fighters do in their entire UFC career

A surprising statistic has come to light regarding former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka's USADA samples.

MMA journalist Aaron Bronsteter recently tweeted that 'Denisa' submitted a whopping 64 samples to USADA for testing in 2022.

The next highest number of samples submitted this year, 20, was by Paulo Costa and Ariane Carnelossi.

Bronsteter also pointed out that Prochazka has submitted a total of 80 samples during his time in the UFC. Only four more fighters have submitted more samples than him - Paulo Costa, former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw, former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and Misha Cirkunov.

But what makes Prochazka stand out from this list is the fact that the 30-year-old has submitted this many testing samples while only having three UFC appearances on his record.

Prochazka was scheduled to defend his light heavyweight title in a rematch against Glover Teixeira at UFC 282. Unfortunately, 'Denisa' suffered a shoulder injury which led to him vacating the title so that the division does not get held up.

The light heavyweight title is currently vacant after the UFC 282 headliner between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev ended in a split-decision draw. Glover Texeira and Jamahal Hill will contest for it in the main event of UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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How did Jiri Prochazka injure his shoulder?

UFC president Dana White recently shed light on Jiri Prochazka's shoulder injury.

During his appearance on the Chattin' Pony podcast with Paddy Pimblett, White revealed that Prochazka's shoulder popped out during training. The people at the gym tried putting it back in but ended up worsening the situation:

"[His shoulder] popped out and he had some guys there at the gym [trying to put it back in], and they ripped the s**t out of it. I'll tell you, I told him, I tell all the fighters, if anything happens to you, jump in the f**king car and go to the hospital. We will pay for everything. People think these guys at the gym can fix your shoulder, don't even risk it."

Watch Dana White discuss Jiri Prochazka's shoulder injury below (starting at the 1:55 mark):

In the absence of Prochazka, Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev fought for the light heavyweight championship at UFC 282. The fight ended in a split draw, thus, leaving the 205-pound division without a champion.