"I’m sharpening him, he’s sharpening me" - Jiri Prochazka reflects on UFC 320 war, calls Khalil Rountree “a teacher” in battle

For Jiri Prochazka, the UFC 320 fight against Khalil Rountree was a true test of resilience and indomitable will. When push came to shove, 'BJP' rose to the occasion, securing a knockout win over the American.

As Rountree was escorted out of the octagon for medical attention following the fight, Prochazka has not spoken to his opponent since. 'BJP' has nothing but respect for his fellow fighter and considers 'The War Horse' a teacher who helped him sharpen his skills.

Speaking with Mike Heck on MMA Fighting, the former light heavyweight champion opened up about what he hopes to tell Rountree:

"The first thing I want to say to Khalil [is] thank you. Thank you for the amazing fight. Thank you. Because every time when you share the cage with some opponents, he's also your your teacher because he's teaching you how to overcome him, how to overcome his attacks, how to learn, how to be better because that's what we are doing, because I'm sharpening him, he's sharpening me, you know, that's the point of the fighting to be better."

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Prochazka added:

"To be better as humans and to find a way to overcome somebody, even ourselves. So, first thing is I'm thankful to him, to share the cage with him and especially with him because there were not too many opponents who were dynamic and tough like him."

Check out Jiri Prochazka's comments below:

At UFC 320, 'BJP' dropped the first two rounds on all three judges' score cards before knocking out Rountree in the third and final round. And with Alex Pereira reclaiming the light heavyweight, the Czech native is now eying a third go at 'Poatan'.

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Jiri Prochazka sensed "something" was "wrong" with Magomed Ankalaev in Alex Pereira rematch

Magomed Ankalaev reportedly had a rib injury going into his rematch against Alex Pereira at UFC 320. Whether the alleged issue played a part in his knockout loss to Pereira or not, Jiri Prochazka believes the Russian was not himself in the fight.

Later in the same interview, Prochazka highlighted how differently Ankalaev fought in the rematch compared to his first encounter with the hard-hitting Brazilian, saying:

"In [UFC] PI, I didn't see him train too much, but I saw him before the fight and in the fight, and I saw him like he's catching himself back. Little step back, little step back, then I was like, 'Man, he's not, he's not right, something's wrong.' He's so careful, not like last time, [when] he was going forward, up and down, changing levels, self-confidence. He was a totally different person." [16:03 minutes into the Interview]

Edited by Ujwal Jain