"Real problem for Ankalaev", "Jiri won’t be scared like Alex was" - Fans react as fired-up Jiri Prochazka issues challenge to Magomed Ankalaev

Fans reacted as Jiri Prochazka responded to Magomed Ankalaev's comments. Ankalaev won the UFC light heavyweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Alex Pereira in the recent UFC 313 main event.

Following his victory, Prochazka expressed the desire to challenge Ankalaev for the title. However, Ankalaev criticized the Czech fighter on social media, suggesting that Prochazka should have a few more wins and referred to him as a "fraud".

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Prochazka addressed the criticism and said:

"Only person who's fraud is him. on't speak about me anymore, 'cause you don't know me. Absolutely, you don't know what kind of life I am living. Face me in the cage, then you will understand."

Check out Jiri Prochazka's comments below (26:53):

@tntsportsufc reshared Prochazka's quote in a recent Instagram post. Fans took to the comments section and shared their thoughts on the potential Prochazka vs. Ankalaev matchup. While some leaned towards Prochazka, others applied the MMA math, predicting that Ankalaev will be able to beat the Czech fighter as he has lost twice to Pereira.

One fan wrote:

"Jiri won't be scared like Alex was."

Another fan commented:

"Jiri is a real problem for Ankalaev."

Check out more fan reactions below:

Fan reactions [via @tntsportsufc on Instagram]

---

Jiri Prochazka explains why he thinks Magomed Ankalaev is a "fraud"

In the aforementioned interview with Ariel Helwani, Jiri Prochazka expressed his surprise at Magomed Ankalaev's comments about him, given their previous cordial relationship. Prochazka elaborated on his thoughts further, stating:

"Magomed Ankalaev can think whatever he wants, but I know that the only person who is fraud is him. Because when I met him in the UFC Performance Institute, he was very nice and friendly... And right now, he's a big superstar and big gangster, he's playing this game and he is hyped. I understand he won the title [when Alex Pereira performed his worst]." [9:26]

He added:

"Only fraud person here is Magomed Ankalaev. I'm giving everything to my fights every time. ... Not like him, many times when he [is in the later rounds], and [expected to perform at high level], he is trying to run away a little bit from aggressive attacks. So that gives me only one [answer]. The only fraud person here is Magomed Ankalaev." [10:12]

After suffering a second-round knockout defeat against Alex Pereira at UFC 303, Prochazka returned to the win column by defeating Jamahal Hill at UFC 311. As of now, he does not have a fight scheduled. However, he has expressed a desire to compete against Pereira in a trilogy fight before challenging Ankalaev for the title.