Confirmed! Jiří Procházka will face undefeated fighter Navajo Stirling on 21 November in Doha, Qatar. The 28-year-old New Zealander trains with the same team as Carlos Ulberg, the last man to defeat the Czech samurai.
And what does Jiří Procházka himself have to say about his younger rival?
“I see this opponent as a real challenge. Of all the potential opponents we’ve discussed with the UFC over the past few months, he presents the biggest challenge to me, both because of where he stands and the way he fights. He reminds me a little of a younger version of myself. And when I think of it that way, it makes me want to fight him even more. I like his aggression in a fight, his endurance and his tenacity. And I see plenty of ways to fight him. We’ve already talked it through with my team. We’ve had time to study his style and make a lot of notes. We see holes in his game that we’ll exploit.
Every fight is unique in some way, though. There’s always something new. And whatever strategy you settle on, once the fight begins, a completely new story has to start. For those few minutes, which sometimes feel like an eternity, you have to find a completely new way of reading your opponent. Because I’ve never shared the cage with someone quite like him, even if I’ve faced similar types of fighters. But I’m looking forward to showing that I’m on a completely different level. And doing it with humility, hard work and everything that has brought me to this point.
The biggest challenge I see in this fight is his striking style, that stalking approach. Sometimes he tries to force techniques at all costs when they don’t really need to be there. But because he’s such an instinctive fighter, I believe I’ll find a good way to get through to him.
I’m looking forward to it. Training camp is underway. Thank you for your support. Let’s go get it. Victory! More than ever before.”