Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen is intrigued by the possibility of Jiří Procházka joining the division he formerly competed in.
Procházka is currently just over a week on from his latest outing at the UFC 303 pay-per-view, which saw his second failed bid to achieve two-time champion status on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage play out.
Having had his light heavyweight reign brought to an end by a severe shoulder injury in late 2022, “BJP” returned in competition for the then-vacant belt at UFC 295 last November. On that night, Alex Pereira exited the cage with the gold in his possession, completing two-division glory in the process.
With both subsequently recording wins at UFC 300 this past April, they ran it back on short notice after the June 29 numbered event was left in desperate need of a headline savior.
The Czech star answered the call and looked to right the wrongs from his first showdown with “Poatan.” But unfortunately for the former champ, he was soundly beaten second time around.
In the aftermath, a disappointed Procházka admitted he needs to “evolve” as a fighter or simply not compete any longer. Separately, his coach pitched a drop to middleweight following his man’s latest setback at 205 pounds.
That idea appears to be one that gets a former title challenger in both divisions off his seat…
Sonnen ‘Loves’ The Idea Of Middleweight Procházka
During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen reacted to talk of Procházka possibly testing the middleweight waters down the line, a move that the former champ himself has previously insisted would be doable.
While he suggested a divisional switch is not a necessity for “BJP” despite his two defeats to the current light heavyweight kingpin, “The Bad Guy” did point out a number of mouthwatering matchups that could await the Czech star down at 185 pounds.
“Jiří Procházka’s coach suggests the former champion should move down to middleweight. … Well, I don’t want to take on that coach or his opinion because he is damn good and he created a world champion there,” Sonnen said. “I believe what he is offering, in front of everything else, is that it is not time for Jiří to retire. I agree with that, fully.
“I don’t believe there is a meaningful difference if you become a world champion in a different division. … Jiří at 185, that is completely fascinating to me. I love that idea,” Sonnen continued. “I really don’t want to see Jiří vs. Alex Pereira (again). I didn’t really want to see Jiří vs. Alex Pereira last weekend. That’s just not the one that I was itching for. But I tell you what, Jiří Procházka vs. Du Plessis? You have my attention. Jiří Procházka vs. Sean Strickland, vs. Izzy Adesanya, wow, vs. Robert Whittaker, woah, things just got really interesting. Jiří Procházka vs. Khamzat Chimaev! Jiří at 185, I love this concept, but I’m not bothered by the concept of Jiří staying at 205.”
It remains to be seen what Procházka’s plans are for the future and whether he shares his coach’s view on a middleweight move next.
But regardless, the always entertaining “BJP” is already back to his unique and unorthodox training regime back in Czechia.
