"I was too patient, and yeah, that was something I didn't realize. I waited too much for a counter, too much waiting for a counter, because I thought that will be there," Prochazka (32-5-1) admitted following the fight, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press. His thinking was "I'm on the place, I will catch him really clearly with the counter."
"I started to believe in my defense, in my hands [being] up. I didn't understand, that works. Hands up, and head movement. First time I connected [them] together, and it worked. So I'm happy. That was the thing in the third round that made me happy, why I'm happy. Because the first two rounds were bad."
Jiri Prochazka trailed on the scorecards through the first two rounds before mounting a violent third-round resurgence to stop Khalil Rountree Jr., earning Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonuses and strengthening his title-shot positioning. Prochazka initially relied on patience and countering, but Rountree's defensive timing forced a tactical adjustment. Prochazka began to trust his defense, keeping his hands up and adding head movement, which allowed him to connect and overwhelm Rountree in the third. The victory marked his second consecutive high-profile finish following the stoppage of Jamahal Hill and reinforced his momentum.
Read at Cageside Press
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