antonio smith thinks that the short-term nature gives Jiri Prochazka the best chance to win Alexandre Pereira at the UFC 303.
Prochazka (30-4-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) challenges light heavyweight champion Pereira (10-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in a title fight rematch on June 29 at T-Mobile Arena – fight that was put together after the original main event between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler was cancelled.
Prochazka was submitted by Pereira in the fight for the vacant title in November 2023 in UFC 295. Daniel Cormier thinks Prochazka needs more time to make the necessary adjustments to dethrone Pereira, but Smith disagrees.
“I kind of disagree with you a little bit,” Smith said during a guest co-host appearance on the ESPN show. “Good/Bad”. “I don’t know if more time helps Jiri Prochazka. I don’t know if he can change the things he needs to change to beat Alex Pereira consistently. He is a wild man and if he changes that, he loses what is good about his style and what characterizes him.”
Smith thinks Pereira is a bad matchup for Prochazka, so he also thinks taking a potentially unprepared Pereira gives him a better chance of winning.
“Can he beat him? Absolutely,” Smith said. “Something crazy could happen and he could end up in trouble. He could hurt him. It’s possible. I’m not saying this is an impossible task. I just don’t know if more time will help you more than just jumping in and doing it now.
“I think this is the best case scenario. Maybe Alex hasn’t been training to his fullest, maybe his cardio isn’t where it needs to be. …The last time I saw Alex Pereira, he was an absolute monster. I think this (the weight cut) is the biggest fight he’ll have that entire weekend.”
Smith (38-19 MMA, 13-9 UFC) will hit the scene in short order when he replaces the injured Jamahal Hill against rising light heavyweight challenger Carlos Ulberg (9-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) also at UFC 303.
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC 303.
