Jiri Prochazka is not one to cry foul when competing inside the Octagon. While many outside of it claimed his bout at UFC 295 with Alex Pereira was stopped early, Prochazka is not following suit. Instead, he defended the stoppage by referee Marc Goddard.
The UFC 295 main event came to a halt in controversial fashion Saturday night, as referee Marc Goddard stepped between Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira.
After Pereira connected with several elbows, Goddard called the bout off, declaring the former middleweight champion the new light heavyweight titleholder from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Immediately on social media, cries of an early stoppage came flooding in.
Prochazka, though, took the high road after the fight.
Jiri Prochazka: ‘I Was Out But I Will Never Stop’
“I think in that end, it was right,” he said (thanks to MMA Fighting for the quotes). “I was out but I will never stop. Shit happens. For me, it’s a big learn, let’s work on that and be back stronger than ever.
“Thank you Alex. Thank you for this fight. I’ll be back.”
Kicks from Pereira, who bested Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title before falling in a rematch, were leaving Prochazka hurt. A former champion himself, he vacated the title that was won by Jamahal Hill, who vacated it himself.
Pereira said he felt like the strikes did enough to end the fight.
“I’m not surprised,” he said. “After the first left hook and another one, he fell down to my legs. I don’t believe it was a bad stoppage.
“It’s a great honor for me.”