Jiri Prochaska has admitted he’s prepared to contemplate a middleweight marketing campaign if Alex Pereira relinquishes the sunshine heavyweight title for a possible heavyweight superfight with Jon Jones, creating uncertainty over the speedy way forward for the division. The previous mild heavyweight champion made this assertion throughout an look at Octagon 79 in Brno, Czech Republic, the place he spoke with Patrick McCauley about his profession trajectory following current strikes on the prime of the sunshine heavyweight ranks.
Jiri Prochaska on attainable transfer to middleweight
“Taking place to 205 kilos is okay. I believe taking place to 185 kilos can be actually wonderful. I do know my physique very properly and I consider it may possibly obtain it. So I can do it. But it surely relies upon. First I need to convey the sunshine heavyweight title to the Czech Republic.”
Czech athlete Prochaska’s feedback come as Pereira has expressed a robust want to maneuver up two weight courses and battle at heavyweight. The Brazilian regained the sunshine heavyweight title at UFC 320 on Oct. 4 with a first-round knockout of Magomed Ankalaev in simply 80 seconds.
Regardless of holding the belt, Pereira shortly expressed curiosity in pursuing a heavyweight showdown, significantly a attainable matchup with Jon Jones at a UFC occasion tentatively scheduled for June 14, 2026 on the White Home. UFC president Dana White has expressed hesitation in regards to the transfer.
For Prochaska, this situation represents a crossroads. The 32-year-old Czech fighter is at present ranked No. 1 within the mild heavyweight division following a dramatic third-round knockout win over Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 320, the identical occasion the place Pereira regained the title. Contemplating that Prochaska has fought solely at mild heavyweight throughout his time within the UFC, his willingness to chop weight to middleweight represents a notable development. He’s the frontrunner on this class, however has already misplaced to “Poitin” twice.
The sunshine heavyweight panorama has skilled appreciable upheaval over the previous 18 months. Pereira gained the title in November 2023 and defended it thrice earlier than shedding the belt to Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March 2025. Prochaska misplaced to Pereira of their earlier two conferences, as soon as in 2023 and a rematch at UFC 303 in 2024.
The division at present options up-and-comer Carlos Ulberg, who has gained 9 straight matches and is positioning himself as a robust contender for the title ought to Pereira go away. Ulberg would like to face Pereira relatively than battle for the vacant belt, however is assured in his preparation for a championship-level bout.
If Prochaska have been to maneuver to middleweight, he can be getting into a division at present dominated by Khamzat Chimaev, who gained the title with a dominant unanimous resolution efficiency over Drix du Plessis at UFC 319 in August 2025. The middleweight ranks embody established contenders equivalent to Nasouddin Imavov, Sean Strickland, and Israel Adesanya, offering a aggressive surroundings for mild heavyweight veterans seeking to tackle a brand new division.
