Jiri Prochazka reveals why girlfriend insisted on title fight

Jiri Prochazka’s girlfriend had her reservations about his UFC return, given that their first child is due around the same time.

He responded with the kind of focus you’d expect from someone who has already held gold at 205 pounds.

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Prochazka mentioned that their baby is expected between April 13th and 15th, just a few days after his main event bout in Miami.

That timing was why his girlfriend wanted him to make sure any fight he took around then was something meaningful — like a shot at another belt.

“My girlfriend told me, ‘If you will have the title fight on May 11’, because that was the possible date, ‘Let’s do that but it has to be a big fight. Don’t fight some like similar fight because you can fight all the year in these other normal fights.’ Then we started to negotiate with the UFC about the title fight,” he said.

Prochazka earned his way back into title contention with two highlight-reel finishes last year.

The timing wasn’t ideal for him personally, but after talks with the promotion, they managed to align things with what she asked for.