"Poatan for the UFC LHW title" - Fans abuzz with matchup theories after Jiri Prochazka announces signing new fight contract with UFC

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka was in Prague attending Oktagon 58, where he announced that he had signed a new UFC contract, stirring wild guesses among fans regarding his next opponent.

Last year, the UFC's annual visit to the Big Apple in New York was headlined by the vacant light heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Prochazka in one of the most highly anticipated matchups in the coveted LHW division. After an intense staredown, the fight didn't seem to match the expectations of fans as the former middleweight champ knocked out Prochazka in the second round.

'The Czech Samurai' seems to have riled the fans up as many are buzzing with anticipation of who his next opponent will be. One of the fans wrote:

"It’s gotta be the rematch against Pereira. Ankaleav wants to wait until October while Pereira wants to stay active."

Some of the fans seemed confident about his title shot:

"Poatan for the UFC LHW title"

Some were hesitant about his immediate title shot:

"I see y'all in the comments saying Alex Pereira with all confidence, I doubt a hard fought win over Rakic gets him back into the title picture."

Here are the other reactions:

"I think its a safe bet saying its Alex rematch. Poatan has stated he does not intend on wating for ankalaev till October. Alex vs jiri in September sphere main and omalley co main," a fan tweeted.

"Hopefully it isn’t Alex, we need to wait to see what Ulberg does against Hill, because if he can beat Hill I would definitely have him leapfrog Jiri and Ankalev and fight Alex in September. Than do Jiri vs. Ankalev in Abu Dhabi as a title eliminator," another noted.

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Jiri Prochazka's LHW title contention in doubt but the future seems to have a direction

Ever since the current heavyweight champion Jon 'Bones' Jones left the light heavyweight weight class in pursuit of heavyweight gold, it has been a game of musical chairs.

Jan Blachowicz grabbed the vacant gold against Dominick Reyes in 2020, but couldn't hold on to it much longer as Glover Teixeira snatched the title in the following year. However, an unfortunate shoulder injury made Teixeira renunciate his title allowing the division to move on without him.

The vacant title was up for grabs at UFC 282 as Jan Blachowicz competed against Magomed Ankalaev but the fight ended in a draw. Fighting for the title in his home turf against Jamahal Hill, Teixeira had a hard fought scrap against 'Sweet Dreams' which gave way to Hill's crowning moment at UFC 283. The curse continued as a ruptured Achilles injury halted his title reign short.

This light at the end of the tunnel was shone by a kickboxing phenom in the form of Alex 'Poatan' Pereira, as he emerged as a stabilizing force in this helter-skelter division. Having beat former champions in his last three fights, Pereira has fans enraptured as they're yearning for a second bout between him and Prochazka in what could be a riveting contest.

It's uncertain what the premier MMA organization has in store for Jiri Prochazka. His last bout in the octagon was against fifth-ranked Alexander Rakic, where he won via TKO at UFC 300.

Whether or not he deserves a title shot next is debatable but fans are spirited to see him return and that's something the matchmakers at the UFC will surely consider.