UFC 275: Jiri Prochazka swipes light heavyweight title with clutch submission of Glover Teixeira in instant classic
- Prochazka chokes Brazilian with 28 seconds remaining in wild back-and-forth main event at Singapore Indoor Stadium
- Fight was competitive for the duration, and is already being hailed as one of the best of all time
Jiri Prochazka is the new UFC light heavyweight champion, and he usurped the throne in truly impressive fashion.
The 29-year-old Czech knockout artist challenged 42-year-old Brazilian champion Glover Teixeira in the main event of the action-packed UFC 275 card inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
After four of the most competitive rounds in recent memory, he captured the title by submitting Teixeira – a decorated Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt – with a rear-naked choke in the waning moments of the fifth, with just 28 seconds left on the clock.
“Like I said before the fight, I’m ready to end it first or fifth round, it doesn’t matter, and it doesn’t matter what technique,” Prochazka said in his post-fight interview with commentator Daniel Cormier, still leaking blood from a cut on his brow.
“The choke, that came naturally. I watched the moment and what opportunities were before me.”
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Prochazka and Teixeira’s fight immediately stood out as one of the best of all time – and that is not hyperbole. Both men enjoyed periods of massive success throughout, hurting each other on the feet, and threatening one another with submissions on the mat.
“It’s amazing, amazing, amazing,” Prochazka said. “It was a true war. Glover is a true warrior.”
In victory, Prochazka is now 3-0 in the UFC, having earned his title shot with highlight-reel knockouts over Dominick Reyes and Volkan Oezdemir. Before joining the UFC, he was a champion in Japan’s Rizin Fighting Federation.
While Teixeira’s fairy tale has come to an end, he made it clear that he intends to continue fighting nonetheless.
“I’m going to keep going,” he told Cormier to the roar of a supportive crowd inside the packed arena.
