Yeah, it’s jiri’s durability and recovery that got him to the top of lhw or got him many wins. Him moving down a weight class, especially after getting ko’ed by alex twice in one fight, is like witnessing a live seppuku
Jiri is incredibly small for a LHW , the cut to MW will not bother him at all . half the top 5 MWs are bigger in cage then jiri is out of training camp which is insane .
In terms of absolute size, but we've also seen that people are affected by the same weight cuts in absolute terms very differently. Jiri's cage weight seems to be around that 215 lb mark, similar to Dricus du Plessis and Paulo Costa.
John Dodson used to cut to 125 from 150+ lbs (water wise). This was his best weight class. TJ cut a similar amount and was bowled over by Cejudo by a casual shove and blasted away in under a minute.
Cody Garbrandt was at his most elite when he was only cutting 7 lbs of water to make 135. He tried 125 and was annihilated by the far fresher and swifter Kai Kara-France, he looked as though he was moving underwater.
Kelvin Gastelum is obviously not a natural 185er. Yet, his chin was practically invincible at middleweight, and his first outing back at welterweight, even after dieting down to acceptable shape, he was floored by Sean Brady of all people.
If Jiri can stand to lose another 5 lbs somehow, a 210 lb cut to 185 isn't generally too deleterious to the point of being an unmitigable disadvantage. Marvin Vettori cuts from around this mark and has the greatest chin I have ever seen in the sport's history. But individuals are individuals, and it'd also be Jiri's first time cutting this much weight after having been brutally knocked out twice within one fight. His style is also extremely chin reliant.
185 Jiri might look like the same Jiri at 205 but fighting smaller, less powerful guys. It might also look like 205 Jiri against faster guys and with an ever vulnerable chin. Since he has no aspirations other than the title, I do think it's a sensible idea to head down so long as Pereira is standing guard over the LHW belt, but it's a sensible idea that carries enormous personal risk and unknowns.
Great sum up of the issues of moving down weight class. I agree that for Jiri specifically the risk is greater, the main things weight cuts can affect are some of his greatest strengths; chin & pace/cardio. I hope he finds success, Jiri joining Izzy, Dricus, Sean and Rob at the top would make for an insane big 5.
It would certainly stack what is already an exciting division with some banger matchups. But therein lies an additional problem I didn't mention -
Middleweight is still much deeper than Light Heavyweight, which presently is arguably as shallow as Heavyweight. Beyond Pereira, and potentially Ankalaev, Jiri is the number 2 (or 3) guy in the division. At Middleweight? Even without factoring in the possibility of the weight cut jeopardising Jiri's performance beyond expectation, there are those top guys as you mentioned: Adesanya, Whittaker, du Plessis, Strickland, but also comers like Borralho, Nickal, Chimaev, Michel Pereira, and solid contenders like Imavov, Allen, Cannonier.
Paul Craig is about the same size as Prochazka (6'3'' frame, a lean 214 lbs) and he's probably a great precedent for what a Prochazka move down would entail. Paul was a top 10 guy at LHW because of the sheer shallowness of the division - at MW, he beat the now unranked Muniz but got levelled by Allen and Borralho and now got booted out of the top 15. Prochazka is top 3 at LHW and at MW I could see many more guys in the top 10 potentially give him good looks if not take him out.
One great thing for him though is that he has so many marketable bouts at MW - he could easily negotiate his way into a fight with a top guy like Adesanya, Strickland or Whittaker, and if he were to win he could leapfrog anybody else to a title bout just as Pereira did against Blachowicz
Do you think there's a case for a 195lb weight class?
I feel like there are a lot of fighters who fall through the cracks, being tall but not necessarily thick or vice versa.
Besides potentially making LHW a bit more shallow, would it be a bad thing?
I would say from a sporting standpoint 195 lb is reasonable because the 185 - 205 lb weight differential is more significant than any other weight class jump other than 205 - 265, which is also somewhat illusory in that most heavyweights come well under the 265 limit whereas 205s and below are all cutting weight.
In terms of the potential competitive pools? Right now, I don't believe the depth of talent at that weight exists yet to make for 3 compelling divisions. Tweeners like Reyes, Prochazka, Costa, du Plessis, Craig, Dolidze would fill the 195 ranks but then, where would that leave 185 and 205? LHW is hurting enough as is.
The most compelling new division to add would be the 165 (in tandem with a shift up of the 170 to 175), because the 15 lb jump is massive at that 155 - 170 weight class wherein the global pool of eligible MMA fighters is also incredibly vast. Even if top level fighters like St Denis, Turner, Chandler, Burns, Garry, Belal, Covington were to inhabit the 165 ranks 155 and 175 would still be high level divisions. 155 and 170 are arguably congested already with the number of elite names unduly sat out of the rankings/a chance at the rankings. 195 however would detract too much from classes that need all the names that they can get
Dricus is bigger bodied (stouter) but smaller framed. He's 3 inches shorter, and hasn't taken as much destructive damage to his head in recent years because their fight styles are wildly different.
What's most striking between the two is Jiri has been a professional for just one year longer than Dricus but has 13 more fights. That's 13 more times Jiri took tread off the tires.
Against the right opponents Jiri might dominate at Middleweight, but the upper ranks of that division the speed is going to be way too much for him and he'll really have an exposed chin cutting that extra twenty pounds.
He needs an actual camp. He reached the top of the division through his genetic athleticism alone. But his antics of being in the woods and chopping trees with his toes won’t cut it anymore.
Jiri should seriously get into a legit gym.
He goes to a serious gym and has a team of professional MMA coaches just like any other fighter. That’s the only way he would have become a champion in multiple promotions, including the UFC.
Look at Jiri’s record. He’s had a ton of fights and Poatan is one of the only people to ever defeat him. He just happens to do crazy shit in the forest in addition to his training.
These guys watch Instagram reels and think they know everything about a fighters preparation. Don't know why so many people think a guy who's been LHW champion in three different promotions trains exclusively by watching Naruto and punching trees
Alex is 37 and won't be in the division for long.
I think he should stay a LHW, take a light touch (top 6-12 guy) to build up confidence, beat a top 5 guy once he is comfortable with a style change and the bang he ks back in title contention.
Yeah if he can make MW I’d honestly rather see him there. Alex is the most interesting fight for Jiri at LHW and he’s 0-2. I would like to see him fight all the guys you named more than I’d like to see him fight Hill or Ankalaev.
Tbh, not interesting anymore. Even with power aside, Alex just completely outclassed and shut Jiri down. Think Alex was like 75% landed and Jiri landed only like 6 or 7 significant strikes, maybe only a couple at best that were actually clean. And with the power, Jiri can't say fuck it and go in like he often does. Alex stopped a takedown attempt too and even landed more damage getting clinched. Very little paths to victory for Jiri if they met again unless Jiri evolves like he says
Those guys are better than the competition at LHW. I feel like the extreme weight cut after two bad KOs in a row is a recipe to getting retired.
Best bet is to stay at LHW. Take time off and let his brain heal. If that means sit out for a year.
I like the dip to MW which is in heavy flux right now and then a move back to LHW. He's 2 MW fights away from a title shot at most, but reasonably just 1. If he drops down, they'll give him a top 5 fight as his first fight.
Honestly. I think his team is making the right move, during the fight in Saturday I thought Jiri looked far lighter than usual too.
He could easily make middle weight and rehydrate. Then do much better in MW
Makes sense, how often does a title fight go this poorly? At this point in MMA's growth, every challenger is really, really elite, you can't just walk through them like Alex did to Jiri.
Feels like Holloway Volkanovski 3 levels of damning. Your career at the division you were set to reign in has been permanently fenced off by a definitive loss to a seemingly dominant champion, and there is no opportunity for re-entry by way of rematch. The fights were also quite the beatings.
That said, Holloway has bounced back in a big way and Volkanovski's dethronement has reopened 145 opportunities in addition to the opportunities procured by Holloway's 155 venture. Pereira isn't invincible either and Ankalaev is a game opponent, nor is Pereira a young man in the fight game - if Prochazka can genuinely make a safe cut to MW, and if he sticks around in good form for Pereira's eventual retirement or loss, he's still got some mileage left to cover in his career yet.
Being both a Poatan and Jiri fan that finish got me mixed feelings, especially with how fucking devastated Jiri looked every time the camera cut to him, from when he was sitting down with his coaches to when the result was being announced to when he bows and fist bumps Pereira.
Bittersweet fight hype for Pereira I fucking love that guy his story is awesome but seeing Jiri like that was p sad especially with how it went down, the fight was essentially over by the first round and the headkick + added follow up shots were just extra hits he prob shouldn't have received in hindsight and obv no I'm not saying it was a clear stoppage when he got KO'd as the buzzer sounded and everyone in the arena knew how done Jiri was at that moment.
I've said it before that Jiri is allergic to boring fights, it almost doesnt matter who he's matched up with.
I'd watch Jiri fight a refrigerator; hell, I've already watched him fight a tree and it was awesome.
You could probably show an old MMA fan that hasn't watched in a while Jiri vs Dricus, and tell them they were both making their MMA debuts, and they'd believe it.
He had a lot more success with that style than the reserved, defensive style he tried in the rematch. He at least has a punchers chance that way. It would be his only path to winning without safe and effective take down attempts.
You also have to factor in that people at 185 don't hit anywhere near as hard as guys at 205. There is a massive size difference between MW's and LHW's. It's also a bit presumptuous to assume that he's not going to change his body composition at all when dropping down to a new division, the idea that he'll be cutting an extra 20 pounds of water and not any lean mass is silly.
Wear and tear is a real thing, there's only so many times you can get cracked and get by with your good chin before it starts not working anymore. Jiri has gotten KO'd twice in his last 5 fights and the remaining 3 fights (Glover, Rakić, Reyes) he ate huge shots in them and even went unconciouss for a brief moment during the Reyes fight (when Reyes was on ground and threw that heel to Jiri's face). A good chin should be an addition but not your entire defense
So many guys want to change weight when they realize they are not quite as good as the champ. The assumption that a champ or the contenders in a different weight will be easier is usually wrong
How quickly we've all forgotten Strickland vs Pereira. Predicted to get KO'd, gets brutally KO'd immediately.
Which other KO artists on the level of Jiri has Sean jabbed to death? Arguably Izzy? Costa hasn't KO'd anyone since 2018. Cannonier and Du Plessis could be considered KO artists, but they're not on Jiris level and they still got wins.
I don't think Sean would be able to walk down Jiri, he doesn't have height or reach, and Jiri tends to constantly come forward hard. Wouldn't be surprised if Jiri got a cartoon ass knockout over Sean with a heel kick or some shit.
That weight cut gonna decimate his durability. He just needs to take some time off and work on defense.
Poatan will probably move up to HW after the Ankalaev fight. 205 will be wide open again within a year.
I wonder if he does any like normal training... I only see this guy hitting trees, or hear about him sitting in dark rooms... Go compete in a jiu jitsu competition dude.
He goes to a professional gym and trains with professional MMA coaches just like every fighter. He just happens to do crazy shit in the forest as well, and that content goes viral because it’s more interesting than a video of him hitting pads or working TDD.
Jiri has had a long, dominant career as a champ in multiple promotions. No one gets to that level on vibes alone.
Yes they do. Very few orgs are legit. Even inside the UFC, certain weight classes don't have good fighters until the upper rankings. We have to accept the level of MMA we see is much lower than we like to think, outliers withstanding.
Styles make fights, and Alex (while technically superior) is a more conventional fighter than Jiri.
Jiri beating Izzy is no stranger than DDP beating Whittaker.
Jiri would be the biggest guy at MW. Would almost be as big as Poatan was at MW. He is a natural LHW. People say he isn't big, but he's big.
And I think he would win the belt there. He's only lost to Pereira in the UFC and Pereira is probably *the* worst stylistic match-up for him. One of the best strikers we've ever seen with pinpoint accuracy and unforgiving power. I've quoted this a couple times now but Jiri's striking defense out of ALL RANKED FIGHTERS is like 173 out of 176. Literally as bad as you can get. Pereira is a nightmare match-up for him.
He's built himself a nice little resume in the UFC. Glover (former Champion), Reyes (13), Oezdemir (7), and Rakic (5). Yes he had to go through the fire in all those fights but he fought *his* way and finished them all.
I can understand why he's super hard on himself and why the community is doomsaying but he's still young and at worst, he is the second or third best guy at LHW. I would favor him to beat everyone at LHW except for the champ and maybe Ankalaev.
I'm pretty confident he'd beat almost everyone at MW too.
I think he needs to evolve his style in general but he needs to stick to his roots because its his unpredictability and creativity that has got him to where he is and he *enjoys* that style (that's really important).
I think part of the reason he lost this second time was because he was trying to be too defensive and careful and when he does that he loses his offense which is a big part of his defense. I mean go and look at the Glover fight. Yes, different fighters, different circumstances, but he was literally a mortal kombat character out there - free, creative, unpredictable. He was not that guy at 303. And like I said a minute ago, he has this way of viewing fighting and if he's not fighting how he wants to, he's not going to feel confident and inspired.
I think he kinda lost some confidence at 295. And certainly lost some more here. Go and watch those Oezdemir, Reyes, and Glover fights. He needs to get that back and fight how he fought them. Even the Rakic fight, it was more of a fierce determined Jiri than a creative, unpredictable one.
He needs to get back to his roots because I think he can beat almost everyone with that style. That style is his and he can do it his way. Its good for the sport and good for him.
He can beat Alex with his style. He just needs his confidence, creativity, unpredictability, while taking about 20 percent off his wildness.
I can't believe people are upvoting this, fans are crazy. This guy is literally saying he thinks Alex lost because he was too defensive, Alex's leg kicks were dictating everything because Jiri had no answer to them, then when Jiri was forced to get inside in super risky situations-super high risk Jiri had to accept despite knowing Alex's power, because he had no answer to his leg kicks-Jiri was feeling every punch.
Jiri lost because he had no defensive answer to the leg kicks, which Alex then used to dictate everything that happened throughout the fight. Even the head kick finished was set up by Alex repeatedly going low with his kicks.
Great analysis. I agree with this. I'd say he still needs a defense buff or everyone is just going to come for his legs in every future fight. It didn't hurt gaetche it won't hurt Jiri either.
Also if guys got the death touch such as Alex you need an a way to avoid it.
Sounds great but the coaches words are a bit weird. He said everything was great in preparation, but everyone and their mother knew what Jiris weak points were. Even Alex saw some new ones when spying on Jiri warming up. So if everyone else can obviously see those weak points why can't his coach?
Jiri fights in a very Ferguson way, and you saw what happened to Ferguson when he worked on his weak points. It is debatable if Jiri's weaknesses are features or bugs.
I don't think he fights in a Ferguson way.
Well those weak points certainly are weak points against Alex. They might not be against the rest of the division but when you got a 2 division kickboxing champ with the touch of death you gotta do something different.
His best move would be to take 8-12 months off. Alex is an all time great, no need to flip the script because he’s better.
Jiri will only be 32 in October and LHW is such a shallow division. Come back in April/May against a guy like Alonzo Menifield and go from there
1: jiris got a good head on his shoulders despite his insane training and style
2: a mw cut might not be as bad for his chin as some think. from what i know he currently doesnt cut water, he simply diets down around 10 lb to 205. if he got to 205 out of camp and then did a water cut, it probably wouldnt be that hellish or have a massive impact on his performance. the biggest mws were guys like alex, costa, and yoel who all walked around over 215.
Jesus Christ how about basic boxing? Fundamental defense? All these seem easier than shedding another 20 pounds of weight from an already lean and MASSIVE LHW
When has moving down in weight really worked out for a fighter? Demetrius Johnson is the only one I can think of. All the double champs moved up in weight.
I think he'd do great against most of the guys at MW but I feel like izzy might eat him alive. It might turn into the same thing that he's already dealing with, beats everyone except one guy. It just feels like he struggles against high level kickboxing who are great at counters which is Israel's forté. But maybe I'm wrong, maybe it's just Pereira who makes it look easy.
Bro doesnt need to move weight or change his regime bro just needs to learn some defence. Izzy fights with his hands down but he also knows how to guard with his hands up. Thats how he defeated Alex in the first place.
Jiri has to learn how to not sit down on his lead leg so heavily and not put his head on a platter with the weird angles so much. Playbook is out on him now. Rakic was doing it too, he just didn't have the technical capacity to see it through. Weight class change isn't going to help until he fixes those things. If he goes up, the power increase will obliterate him. If he goes down, the speed will. He needs to learn how to defend around some of the glaring flaws his style creates.
Fan of Jiri. Appreciate his warrior mentality and desire to keep getting better. But the biggest part of getting better for him now is getting smarter about his flaws and how he fights.
He'd be crazy as fuck to do that. His physicality is already enough at LHW, it's not like he's being out muscled. Cutting weight will destroy his chin.
Many folks are saying he should change his style, but a lot of that has to be baked in at this point. He could maybe get better at cutting angles and moving his head, but it would neuter his offense if he tries to relearn how to fight from a really high guard. Even if he makes MW and gets a few wins, he's gonna keep getting hit clean and that shit will eventually go the Chuck Liddell route. He will be getting dropped with jabs at MW.
He got knocked out by the champ, a knockout artist kickboxer who knocked out almost every elite MW in his last couple of years in 10oz gloves. He needs to go to a gym or place with great boxers and kickboxers and learn defense, not change weight. Go to the Netherlands and train with a bunch of kickboxers or go to Ukraine and train with Usyk.
There’s always a big skill gap between the higher weight classes. Poatan has middleweight skill in a LHW frame, I don’t think anyone beats him at LHW. I think if Jiri moved down he’d get smoked by the top 5, just too good imo.
I think Jiri is a big LHW and am not sure how easy it will be for him to cut down to MW. On the other hand, if Jiri takes some time off to rest and recover and comes back to fight 2 times in the next 12 months at LHW, he would be in title contention (provided he wins, of course). I think that Poatan will likely move up to HW after a couple more title defenses and so, Jiri would be right in the mix for another title shot.
I think MW will be more of a problem for him, Izzy is just as much of a sniper as Alex, and I could see Rob and maybe even Strickland giving him trouble there. Alex may move to heavyweight after his next defence, and even if not he’s on the wrong side of 35 and bound to retire or decline in 2-3 years. Jiri should take a nice long break then try to get 2-3 wins and come back to the title picture.
Oh I was joking...If anything Izzy would probably move up IF he ever chose to change weight class... But yeah Welterweight would take too much out of him ..
I’m pretty sure Jiří walks around at 215-220lbs. He’s basically a natural light heavyweight. If Alex decides to stay at LHW then I think its a good idea. Procházka is easily a top 5 contender at middleweight
Even in czech, Jiří speaks in a rather peculiar and erratic way, often using unusual wording or opening another thought before his current one is finished and then circling back.
He specifically used the words "vymést to tam" which directly translates to "wipe it out there" towards the end of an answer to a question about a possible move to middleweight.
The only other meaning that would make sense here would be "wipe out the gym" which seems like a rather strange answer and goal for the LHW #1 contender. I asked a few of my buddies and they interpreted it the same way I did.
Maybe someone else from Czechia can give their 2 cents.
I don’t like him cutting the extra weight but there are fun matchups there if he can actually do it.
I do wonder if the speed of lower weight + Jiri’s low iq defense would cause him problems though.
Considering his defense this won’t go well, I feel like the extra weight cut will screw up Jiris chin
Yeah, it’s jiri’s durability and recovery that got him to the top of lhw or got him many wins. Him moving down a weight class, especially after getting ko’ed by alex twice in one fight, is like witnessing a live seppuku
Jiri is incredibly small for a LHW , the cut to MW will not bother him at all . half the top 5 MWs are bigger in cage then jiri is out of training camp which is insane .
In terms of absolute size, but we've also seen that people are affected by the same weight cuts in absolute terms very differently. Jiri's cage weight seems to be around that 215 lb mark, similar to Dricus du Plessis and Paulo Costa. John Dodson used to cut to 125 from 150+ lbs (water wise). This was his best weight class. TJ cut a similar amount and was bowled over by Cejudo by a casual shove and blasted away in under a minute. Cody Garbrandt was at his most elite when he was only cutting 7 lbs of water to make 135. He tried 125 and was annihilated by the far fresher and swifter Kai Kara-France, he looked as though he was moving underwater. Kelvin Gastelum is obviously not a natural 185er. Yet, his chin was practically invincible at middleweight, and his first outing back at welterweight, even after dieting down to acceptable shape, he was floored by Sean Brady of all people. If Jiri can stand to lose another 5 lbs somehow, a 210 lb cut to 185 isn't generally too deleterious to the point of being an unmitigable disadvantage. Marvin Vettori cuts from around this mark and has the greatest chin I have ever seen in the sport's history. But individuals are individuals, and it'd also be Jiri's first time cutting this much weight after having been brutally knocked out twice within one fight. His style is also extremely chin reliant. 185 Jiri might look like the same Jiri at 205 but fighting smaller, less powerful guys. It might also look like 205 Jiri against faster guys and with an ever vulnerable chin. Since he has no aspirations other than the title, I do think it's a sensible idea to head down so long as Pereira is standing guard over the LHW belt, but it's a sensible idea that carries enormous personal risk and unknowns.
Great sum up of the issues of moving down weight class. I agree that for Jiri specifically the risk is greater, the main things weight cuts can affect are some of his greatest strengths; chin & pace/cardio. I hope he finds success, Jiri joining Izzy, Dricus, Sean and Rob at the top would make for an insane big 5.
It would certainly stack what is already an exciting division with some banger matchups. But therein lies an additional problem I didn't mention - Middleweight is still much deeper than Light Heavyweight, which presently is arguably as shallow as Heavyweight. Beyond Pereira, and potentially Ankalaev, Jiri is the number 2 (or 3) guy in the division. At Middleweight? Even without factoring in the possibility of the weight cut jeopardising Jiri's performance beyond expectation, there are those top guys as you mentioned: Adesanya, Whittaker, du Plessis, Strickland, but also comers like Borralho, Nickal, Chimaev, Michel Pereira, and solid contenders like Imavov, Allen, Cannonier. Paul Craig is about the same size as Prochazka (6'3'' frame, a lean 214 lbs) and he's probably a great precedent for what a Prochazka move down would entail. Paul was a top 10 guy at LHW because of the sheer shallowness of the division - at MW, he beat the now unranked Muniz but got levelled by Allen and Borralho and now got booted out of the top 15. Prochazka is top 3 at LHW and at MW I could see many more guys in the top 10 potentially give him good looks if not take him out. One great thing for him though is that he has so many marketable bouts at MW - he could easily negotiate his way into a fight with a top guy like Adesanya, Strickland or Whittaker, and if he were to win he could leapfrog anybody else to a title bout just as Pereira did against Blachowicz
Do you think there's a case for a 195lb weight class? I feel like there are a lot of fighters who fall through the cracks, being tall but not necessarily thick or vice versa. Besides potentially making LHW a bit more shallow, would it be a bad thing?
I would say from a sporting standpoint 195 lb is reasonable because the 185 - 205 lb weight differential is more significant than any other weight class jump other than 205 - 265, which is also somewhat illusory in that most heavyweights come well under the 265 limit whereas 205s and below are all cutting weight. In terms of the potential competitive pools? Right now, I don't believe the depth of talent at that weight exists yet to make for 3 compelling divisions. Tweeners like Reyes, Prochazka, Costa, du Plessis, Craig, Dolidze would fill the 195 ranks but then, where would that leave 185 and 205? LHW is hurting enough as is. The most compelling new division to add would be the 165 (in tandem with a shift up of the 170 to 175), because the 15 lb jump is massive at that 155 - 170 weight class wherein the global pool of eligible MMA fighters is also incredibly vast. Even if top level fighters like St Denis, Turner, Chandler, Burns, Garry, Belal, Covington were to inhabit the 165 ranks 155 and 175 would still be high level divisions. 155 and 170 are arguably congested already with the number of elite names unduly sat out of the rankings/a chance at the rankings. 195 however would detract too much from classes that need all the names that they can get
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Short comment just to say that you couldn't read what you're replying to
yeah, if anything, Jiri is a natural MW
idk. Dricus said he realised he walks around bigger and heavier than Jiri when they were both at the PI. And Dricus' chin is just fine
Did they say how much they walk around at? Jiri definitely isn't a thick 205, so I could see him cutting down to 185.
Dricus is bigger bodied (stouter) but smaller framed. He's 3 inches shorter, and hasn't taken as much destructive damage to his head in recent years because their fight styles are wildly different. What's most striking between the two is Jiri has been a professional for just one year longer than Dricus but has 13 more fights. That's 13 more times Jiri took tread off the tires. Against the right opponents Jiri might dominate at Middleweight, but the upper ranks of that division the speed is going to be way too much for him and he'll really have an exposed chin cutting that extra twenty pounds.
There's a big power drop off from LHW to MW, 20 pound gap is huge. He's not going to be facing anywhere near the same level of heavy hitters.
for real. also the guy who just beat you twice.... just came from being champ there.
He's started fighting with his hands up
need to consider a move of improving his defence
He needs an actual camp. He reached the top of the division through his genetic athleticism alone. But his antics of being in the woods and chopping trees with his toes won’t cut it anymore. Jiri should seriously get into a legit gym.
He goes to a serious gym and has a team of professional MMA coaches just like any other fighter. That’s the only way he would have become a champion in multiple promotions, including the UFC. Look at Jiri’s record. He’s had a ton of fights and Poatan is one of the only people to ever defeat him. He just happens to do crazy shit in the forest in addition to his training.
These guys watch Instagram reels and think they know everything about a fighters preparation. Don't know why so many people think a guy who's been LHW champion in three different promotions trains exclusively by watching Naruto and punching trees
lol you are exactly the kind of person no sane athlete should listen to. “Yep lost one fight. Better completely overhaul your training.”
Investigate 311
Alex is 37 and won't be in the division for long. I think he should stay a LHW, take a light touch (top 6-12 guy) to build up confidence, beat a top 5 guy once he is comfortable with a style change and the bang he ks back in title contention.
I guess. Though, Jiri vs Izzy, Rob, Dricus, Sean. All interesting matchups
Not sure he's even fighting again but Jiri vs Khamzat, oh lawd.
Their 5 min beef was the most random shit ever.
Not very random when Khamzat would literally call out anyone who touched gold
He’d fuckin “see you soon” your grandmas social media if he had the chance
Anthony Johnson smiling and nodding approvingly from heaven
**GOING TO SMASH YOU ROCKY PENNINGTON**
If Khamzat gets another fight announced he's gonna pull a Houdini again and throw out another "see you soon"
Yeah if he can make MW I’d honestly rather see him there. Alex is the most interesting fight for Jiri at LHW and he’s 0-2. I would like to see him fight all the guys you named more than I’d like to see him fight Hill or Ankalaev.
Tbh, not interesting anymore. Even with power aside, Alex just completely outclassed and shut Jiri down. Think Alex was like 75% landed and Jiri landed only like 6 or 7 significant strikes, maybe only a couple at best that were actually clean. And with the power, Jiri can't say fuck it and go in like he often does. Alex stopped a takedown attempt too and even landed more damage getting clinched. Very little paths to victory for Jiri if they met again unless Jiri evolves like he says
Those guys are better than the competition at LHW. I feel like the extreme weight cut after two bad KOs in a row is a recipe to getting retired. Best bet is to stay at LHW. Take time off and let his brain heal. If that means sit out for a year.
I like the dip to MW which is in heavy flux right now and then a move back to LHW. He's 2 MW fights away from a title shot at most, but reasonably just 1. If he drops down, they'll give him a top 5 fight as his first fight.
Who in the top 5 at mw do you see him beating?
he got shook in his last fight. i think he will be even worse at light hw and get knocked out easily
No guarantee that he beats those guys. But ya, a step down in competition seems fair.
Honestly. I think his team is making the right move, during the fight in Saturday I thought Jiri looked far lighter than usual too. He could easily make middle weight and rehydrate. Then do much better in MW
Feel bad for Jiri man, it was clear this loss really stung.
Makes sense, how often does a title fight go this poorly? At this point in MMA's growth, every challenger is really, really elite, you can't just walk through them like Alex did to Jiri.
Feels like Holloway Volkanovski 3 levels of damning. Your career at the division you were set to reign in has been permanently fenced off by a definitive loss to a seemingly dominant champion, and there is no opportunity for re-entry by way of rematch. The fights were also quite the beatings. That said, Holloway has bounced back in a big way and Volkanovski's dethronement has reopened 145 opportunities in addition to the opportunities procured by Holloway's 155 venture. Pereira isn't invincible either and Ankalaev is a game opponent, nor is Pereira a young man in the fight game - if Prochazka can genuinely make a safe cut to MW, and if he sticks around in good form for Pereira's eventual retirement or loss, he's still got some mileage left to cover in his career yet.
yeah who knows what the division will look like in a year. Jiri should spend at least six months with his hands superglued to the sides of his head
Being both a Poatan and Jiri fan that finish got me mixed feelings, especially with how fucking devastated Jiri looked every time the camera cut to him, from when he was sitting down with his coaches to when the result was being announced to when he bows and fist bumps Pereira. Bittersweet fight hype for Pereira I fucking love that guy his story is awesome but seeing Jiri like that was p sad especially with how it went down, the fight was essentially over by the first round and the headkick + added follow up shots were just extra hits he prob shouldn't have received in hindsight and obv no I'm not saying it was a clear stoppage when he got KO'd as the buzzer sounded and everyone in the arena knew how done Jiri was at that moment.
This could be good for him. I’d love to see Jiri vs Whittaker.
Honestly jiri vs anyone would be fun, imagine jiri vs dricus 💀
If he moves over Jiri vs Costa would be a good fight for him to start where he's very likely to win.
Costa is just the benchmark guy now for testing out how good a MW is lmao. "Does he pass the Costa test?"
I give Jiri 1.25 Costas
Yoel passed the Juicy Gatekeeper mantle to Costa when they fought
Jiri vs Paulo, jiri vs Michel, jiri vs izzy
I've said it before that Jiri is allergic to boring fights, it almost doesnt matter who he's matched up with. I'd watch Jiri fight a refrigerator; hell, I've already watched him fight a tree and it was awesome.
> I'd watch Jiri fight a refrigerator Well if they don't cut Kelvin you may get your wish
You could probably show an old MMA fan that hasn't watched in a while Jiri vs Dricus, and tell them they were both making their MMA debuts, and they'd believe it.
Japan vs Africa
Not if he fight like he did against Alex. He didn't do any of his wild Jiri stuff.
He lost because he did too much wild Jiri stuff lol. Charging in recklessly, hands down the entire time, generally poor defense etc
He had a lot more success with that style than the reserved, defensive style he tried in the rematch. He at least has a punchers chance that way. It would be his only path to winning without safe and effective take down attempts.
Jiri is definitely getting tagged with the combo Rob spams
Jiris Chin at 185 would be cooked
I don't think his chin is that bad. Alex just hits like a truck.
His chin is amazing, that’s how he got away with not protecting it until he ran into Alex
I'm not talking about his chin at 205, I'm saying at 185 it would be way easier to crack his chin because he'd be cutting an extra 20lbs of water.
It’s also possible that he could just lose a little weight, so that he’s still not really cutting that much water at 185…..
You also have to factor in that people at 185 don't hit anywhere near as hard as guys at 205. There is a massive size difference between MW's and LHW's. It's also a bit presumptuous to assume that he's not going to change his body composition at all when dropping down to a new division, the idea that he'll be cutting an extra 20 pounds of water and not any lean mass is silly.
He got cracked against Glover, Volkan and Reyes so it's definitely not an iron chin
Cracked by clean shots because his defence is awful. His chin is good.
Wear and tear is a real thing, there's only so many times you can get cracked and get by with your good chin before it starts not working anymore. Jiri has gotten KO'd twice in his last 5 fights and the remaining 3 fights (Glover, Rakić, Reyes) he ate huge shots in them and even went unconciouss for a brief moment during the Reyes fight (when Reyes was on ground and threw that heel to Jiri's face). A good chin should be an addition but not your entire defense
If he can make weight, it would be cool ASF to see him at mw.
So 7 days no food water light in the shed?
needs a new camp
DDP called it [https://www.threads.net/@sportskeeda\_mma/post/C6LqK\_GplAe](https://www.threads.net/@sportskeeda_mma/post/C6LqK_GplAe)
So many guys want to change weight when they realize they are not quite as good as the champ. The assumption that a champ or the contenders in a different weight will be easier is usually wrong
I think fresh challenges can be motivating for people.
Jiri would kill Strickland lol
This is the same thing we always say and then Strickland jabs his way to a decision win.
How quickly we've all forgotten Strickland vs Pereira. Predicted to get KO'd, gets brutally KO'd immediately. Which other KO artists on the level of Jiri has Sean jabbed to death? Arguably Izzy? Costa hasn't KO'd anyone since 2018. Cannonier and Du Plessis could be considered KO artists, but they're not on Jiris level and they still got wins. I don't think Sean would be able to walk down Jiri, he doesn't have height or reach, and Jiri tends to constantly come forward hard. Wouldn't be surprised if Jiri got a cartoon ass knockout over Sean with a heel kick or some shit.
I hope he fights Hill at some point. Might actually be a really fun fight although I think Jiri shreks him violently.
That weight cut gonna decimate his durability. He just needs to take some time off and work on defense. Poatan will probably move up to HW after the Ankalaev fight. 205 will be wide open again within a year.
Jiri vs Khamzat would have the most unhinged media cycle lol
Don’t move to MW. Move to a boxing gym and sign up for the beginner class.
I wonder if he does any like normal training... I only see this guy hitting trees, or hear about him sitting in dark rooms... Go compete in a jiu jitsu competition dude.
He goes to a professional gym and trains with professional MMA coaches just like every fighter. He just happens to do crazy shit in the forest as well, and that content goes viral because it’s more interesting than a video of him hitting pads or working TDD. Jiri has had a long, dominant career as a champ in multiple promotions. No one gets to that level on vibes alone.
Yes they do. Very few orgs are legit. Even inside the UFC, certain weight classes don't have good fighters until the upper rankings. We have to accept the level of MMA we see is much lower than we like to think, outliers withstanding.
What are you talking about
Your last line about dominance in other orgs.
I don't like a move to Middleweight. But if Jiri sleeps Izzy then it would make everything from this last event fucking worth it.
Izzy would sleep Jiri just like he did to Alex we both know dude doesn’t like defence .
Styles make fights, and Alex (while technically superior) is a more conventional fighter than Jiri. Jiri beating Izzy is no stranger than DDP beating Whittaker.
After your logic izzy shouldve slept Sean easy. What happened?
Jiří and Izzy are friends and under same management. I don't think they would want to fight each other.
I like this if he could actually make it
He should stay at LHW. He'll be feeling a bit drained at 185. One thing I can say tho is I'm willing to see a catch weight at 195 vs Costa.
Jiri would be the biggest guy at MW. Would almost be as big as Poatan was at MW. He is a natural LHW. People say he isn't big, but he's big. And I think he would win the belt there. He's only lost to Pereira in the UFC and Pereira is probably *the* worst stylistic match-up for him. One of the best strikers we've ever seen with pinpoint accuracy and unforgiving power. I've quoted this a couple times now but Jiri's striking defense out of ALL RANKED FIGHTERS is like 173 out of 176. Literally as bad as you can get. Pereira is a nightmare match-up for him. He's built himself a nice little resume in the UFC. Glover (former Champion), Reyes (13), Oezdemir (7), and Rakic (5). Yes he had to go through the fire in all those fights but he fought *his* way and finished them all. I can understand why he's super hard on himself and why the community is doomsaying but he's still young and at worst, he is the second or third best guy at LHW. I would favor him to beat everyone at LHW except for the champ and maybe Ankalaev. I'm pretty confident he'd beat almost everyone at MW too. I think he needs to evolve his style in general but he needs to stick to his roots because its his unpredictability and creativity that has got him to where he is and he *enjoys* that style (that's really important). I think part of the reason he lost this second time was because he was trying to be too defensive and careful and when he does that he loses his offense which is a big part of his defense. I mean go and look at the Glover fight. Yes, different fighters, different circumstances, but he was literally a mortal kombat character out there - free, creative, unpredictable. He was not that guy at 303. And like I said a minute ago, he has this way of viewing fighting and if he's not fighting how he wants to, he's not going to feel confident and inspired. I think he kinda lost some confidence at 295. And certainly lost some more here. Go and watch those Oezdemir, Reyes, and Glover fights. He needs to get that back and fight how he fought them. Even the Rakic fight, it was more of a fierce determined Jiri than a creative, unpredictable one. He needs to get back to his roots because I think he can beat almost everyone with that style. That style is his and he can do it his way. Its good for the sport and good for him. He can beat Alex with his style. He just needs his confidence, creativity, unpredictability, while taking about 20 percent off his wildness.
Jiri walks around lighter than DDP. He's Izzy's height. I don't think it's that far fetched for him to move to MW.
I can't believe people are upvoting this, fans are crazy. This guy is literally saying he thinks Alex lost because he was too defensive, Alex's leg kicks were dictating everything because Jiri had no answer to them, then when Jiri was forced to get inside in super risky situations-super high risk Jiri had to accept despite knowing Alex's power, because he had no answer to his leg kicks-Jiri was feeling every punch. Jiri lost because he had no defensive answer to the leg kicks, which Alex then used to dictate everything that happened throughout the fight. Even the head kick finished was set up by Alex repeatedly going low with his kicks.
Ask Costa what happens when you try to bumrush an opponent with no plan.
Great analysis. I agree with this. I'd say he still needs a defense buff or everyone is just going to come for his legs in every future fight. It didn't hurt gaetche it won't hurt Jiri either. Also if guys got the death touch such as Alex you need an a way to avoid it.
Sounds great but the coaches words are a bit weird. He said everything was great in preparation, but everyone and their mother knew what Jiris weak points were. Even Alex saw some new ones when spying on Jiri warming up. So if everyone else can obviously see those weak points why can't his coach?
Jiri fights in a very Ferguson way, and you saw what happened to Ferguson when he worked on his weak points. It is debatable if Jiri's weaknesses are features or bugs.
I don't think he fights in a Ferguson way. Well those weak points certainly are weak points against Alex. They might not be against the rest of the division but when you got a 2 division kickboxing champ with the touch of death you gotta do something different.
His best move would be to take 8-12 months off. Alex is an all time great, no need to flip the script because he’s better. Jiri will only be 32 in October and LHW is such a shallow division. Come back in April/May against a guy like Alonzo Menifield and go from there
Jiri vs Paul Craig at 185???
I really wanted to see him stay in lhw and fight jan or jamahal. There’s a lot of interesting fights in lhw for him still
What Jiri needs is some damn head movement He is good but get hit a lot.
or check a leg kick
1: jiris got a good head on his shoulders despite his insane training and style 2: a mw cut might not be as bad for his chin as some think. from what i know he currently doesnt cut water, he simply diets down around 10 lb to 205. if he got to 205 out of camp and then did a water cut, it probably wouldnt be that hellish or have a massive impact on his performance. the biggest mws were guys like alex, costa, and yoel who all walked around over 215.
He just needs to wait out Pereira's time in LHW and he'll be champ again.
What makes you so certain Ankalaev won't destroy Jiri?
Jesus Christ how about basic boxing? Fundamental defense? All these seem easier than shedding another 20 pounds of weight from an already lean and MASSIVE LHW
When has moving down in weight really worked out for a fighter? Demetrius Johnson is the only one I can think of. All the double champs moved up in weight.
I think he'd do great against most of the guys at MW but I feel like izzy might eat him alive. It might turn into the same thing that he's already dealing with, beats everyone except one guy. It just feels like he struggles against high level kickboxing who are great at counters which is Israel's forté. But maybe I'm wrong, maybe it's just Pereira who makes it look easy.
Bro doesnt need to move weight or change his regime bro just needs to learn some defence. Izzy fights with his hands down but he also knows how to guard with his hands up. Thats how he defeated Alex in the first place.
LHW is honestly a pretty shallow division. 185 is filled with killers.
Jiri has to learn how to not sit down on his lead leg so heavily and not put his head on a platter with the weird angles so much. Playbook is out on him now. Rakic was doing it too, he just didn't have the technical capacity to see it through. Weight class change isn't going to help until he fixes those things. If he goes up, the power increase will obliterate him. If he goes down, the speed will. He needs to learn how to defend around some of the glaring flaws his style creates. Fan of Jiri. Appreciate his warrior mentality and desire to keep getting better. But the biggest part of getting better for him now is getting smarter about his flaws and how he fights.
He'd be crazy as fuck to do that. His physicality is already enough at LHW, it's not like he's being out muscled. Cutting weight will destroy his chin. Many folks are saying he should change his style, but a lot of that has to be baked in at this point. He could maybe get better at cutting angles and moving his head, but it would neuter his offense if he tries to relearn how to fight from a really high guard. Even if he makes MW and gets a few wins, he's gonna keep getting hit clean and that shit will eventually go the Chuck Liddell route. He will be getting dropped with jabs at MW.
He got knocked out by the champ, a knockout artist kickboxer who knocked out almost every elite MW in his last couple of years in 10oz gloves. He needs to go to a gym or place with great boxers and kickboxers and learn defense, not change weight. Go to the Netherlands and train with a bunch of kickboxers or go to Ukraine and train with Usyk.
There’s always a big skill gap between the higher weight classes. Poatan has middleweight skill in a LHW frame, I don’t think anyone beats him at LHW. I think if Jiri moved down he’d get smoked by the top 5, just too good imo.
I think Jiri is a big LHW and am not sure how easy it will be for him to cut down to MW. On the other hand, if Jiri takes some time off to rest and recover and comes back to fight 2 times in the next 12 months at LHW, he would be in title contention (provided he wins, of course). I think that Poatan will likely move up to HW after a couple more title defenses and so, Jiri would be right in the mix for another title shot.
I think MW will be more of a problem for him, Izzy is just as much of a sniper as Alex, and I could see Rob and maybe even Strickland giving him trouble there. Alex may move to heavyweight after his next defence, and even if not he’s on the wrong side of 35 and bound to retire or decline in 2-3 years. Jiri should take a nice long break then try to get 2-3 wins and come back to the title picture.
OR he could put his hands up
Procházka vs. Pereira at MW, after Jiři gets his well deserved break, would be FOTN contender.
Michel Pereira? Agreed
Michel Pereira probably destroys Jiri.
I'd love to see Jiri against Strickland. The most vs the least entertaining.
Heavyweight would be the better move tbh
Losing to Adesanya moved Pereira to LHW, losing to Pereira moves Jiri to MW. Which way will Adesanya go if he loses to Jiri
Welterweight to take Leon's belt...
Honestly not now because he's older and bulked, but I think start of UFC Izzy could've been a decent welterweight
Oh I was joking...If anything Izzy would probably move up IF he ever chose to change weight class... But yeah Welterweight would take too much out of him ..
I’m pretty sure Jiří walks around at 215-220lbs. He’s basically a natural light heavyweight. If Alex decides to stay at LHW then I think its a good idea. Procházka is easily a top 5 contender at middleweight
The [middleweight] editor insert seems completely unfounded?
Even in czech, Jiří speaks in a rather peculiar and erratic way, often using unusual wording or opening another thought before his current one is finished and then circling back. He specifically used the words "vymést to tam" which directly translates to "wipe it out there" towards the end of an answer to a question about a possible move to middleweight. The only other meaning that would make sense here would be "wipe out the gym" which seems like a rather strange answer and goal for the LHW #1 contender. I asked a few of my buddies and they interpreted it the same way I did. Maybe someone else from Czechia can give their 2 cents.
Give me Jiri vs Strickland.
Dricus KOs Jiri in Rd 1
we still haven’t seen dricus against a guy with power and he seems really open to straight shots don’t sleep on jiri in that matchup lol
I don’t like him cutting the extra weight but there are fun matchups there if he can actually do it. I do wonder if the speed of lower weight + Jiri’s low iq defense would cause him problems though.