Jiří Procházka was hailed as a warrior just as much as Alex Pereira was when the two stepped up on just a couple of weeks' notice to meet in the light heavyweight championship main event of UFC 303.
Unfortunately for Procházka, the fight did not go his way. After rocking him in the last moments of the first round, Pereira landed a head kick that sent "BJP" crashing to the mat.
In his first statement since the loss, coming via a June 30 social media post, Procházka gave a brutally honest assessment about the fight and his performance.
Jiří Procházka Questions Fighting Future After Falling Short To Alex Pereira Again
Thank you for all your support. Thanks to you, Alex, for the fight," Procházka said. "Only one thing goes through my mind: I need to evolve to the next level, or don't fight again. It's real simple. To be the strongest, this is the way.
Pereira and Procházka had met in the main event of UFC 295 in November, with "Poatan" also winning via a second-round finish there. That finish had been questionable in nature, though Procházka went on to say in a post-fight interview that he was out.
Both men subsequently competed at UFC 300 in April, with Pereira stopping Jamahal Hill to retain the title and Procházka finishing Aleksandar Rakić.
Procházka, the former UFC and RIZIN light heavyweight champion, is now 4-2 in the Octagon since his arrival to the UFC in 2021. "BJP" defeated Glover Teixeira to become UFC champion at UFC 275 in June 2022, but he was forced to give up the gold later in the year due to a shoulder injury.