In the main event of UFC 303 on Saturday in Las Vegas, light heavyweight champ Pereira (11-2) met Jiri Prochazka (30-5-1) in a rematch of their title fight seven months ago, which the Brazilian won by second-round knockout after likely losing the first round. In the rematch, the first round was a surprisingly tentative affair, most likely due to both men now being fully cognizant of the other’s power. The champ quickly went to work with the brutal leg kicks that had been effective for him in their first meeting, and which had given Prochazka trouble in his subsequent fight against Aleksandar Rakic as well. Prochazka had some success bouncing into range and landing single punches, but his attempts to bring the fight to the floor went nowhere. Nonetheless, the round was a competitive affair—that is, up to the final seconds, when “Poatan” knocked Prochazka down with a pinpoint left hook at the horn. The challenger rose and returned to his stool but was still gathering his wits a minute later when the next round began. He would not get the chance. Pereira lanced “Denisa” with a left high kick in the opening seconds, dropping him in his tracks. He followed up with a series of absolutely brutal standing-to-ground punches until referee Herb Dean pulled him off at 13 seconds of Round 2. The vicious finish ran Pereira’s Octagon record to 8-1, a perfect 4-0 at light heavyweight, and will likely lead to renewed calls for the 36-year-old to test his fortunes at heavyweight, perhaps pursuing an unprecedented third divisional title. Prochazka fell to 4-2 in the UFC.
Reference: https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Alex-Pereira-Blasts-Jiri-Prochazka-With-Head-Kick-in-UFC-303-Headliner-194192
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