Despite Thiago Santos’ latest offering, Jiří Procházka is busy serving as the backup fighter in the main event at UFC 267: Błachowicz vs. Teixeira.
Both combatants in the UFC 267 main event have a history with “Marreta”. Over last weekend, fans witnessed Santos dig his heels in the ground and defend his position as the #5-ranked light heavyweight.
After taking Johnny Walker to task in a unanimous decision victory, the 37-year-old appears to be back on track after snapping a three-fight losing streak. Previously, Santos was paired with Jan Blachowicz and finished the Poland native en route to his title bid with the former divisional kingpin Jon Jones. After losing and sustaining damage to his knees, Santos returned to face Glover Teixeira. Initially, Santos found success while striking but folded in round three under the pressure of Teixeira’s pace.
While Santos thought Jiří Procházka would be an ideal opponent next, “Denisa” explained that he is already the backup fighter for the 205-pound title fight this October.
“@TMarretaMMA Thank you for the offer, but right now i’m preparing for Blachowicz or Teixeira, which you know them very well.” Procházka posted.
Procházka, meanwhile, exploded in the UFC following his debut knockout against former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir. With a flair for style and wildly aggressive technique, the 29-year-old demolished another former title contender when he was paired with Dominick Reyes. It took only two rounds for Procházka to flatline Reyes with a spinning back elbow.
With a 12-fight winning streak above his head, surely Santos is eager to steal the hype of a fellow striker who is currently the talk of the town. After Procházka fulfills his duties as a potential replacement for the Teixeira/Blachowicz title bout, Santos might become the odd-man-out if the UFC decides to pivot in the direction of Prochazka fighting for gold next.
Do you think Thiago Santos can knock out Jiří Procházka?
