The title battle is irresistibly approaching. At the beginning of the week, Jiří Procházka moved to Singapore, the site of the UFC 275 venue, the culmination of which is the UFC semi-heavyweight belt duel, in which the Czech wrestler will perform. During his stay in Asia, he performs classic duties related to fight week.
–
Photographing, signing, packing wrestling clothes. This is what the last days of the Czech wrestler, who could not miss Wednesday’s press conferences at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Singapore, look like that in a nutshell. The highlight was the staredown of both leaders of the title battle. Even before that, however, the Czech fighter answered questions from curious journalists.
–
How do you feel before the match?
–
I feel in the best shape I have ever been and I am ready to show myself the best. I feel healthy, in a good mood, everything is ready. Now all you have to do is show in the fight that I am the best.
–
What will be the key to victory?
–
It will be important to stick to the individual points and work on the opponent according to them. At the right time comes the effort to end the match as quickly as possible.
–
By odds, you are the favorite. Are you going to a match with this?
–
Certainly not. It gives me no advantage in the match, everything will take place in a cage where only the two of us will be. There will be no people, no family, no other aspects. Just good preparation, team atmosphere and trying to show the best. It’s all about how you work with the mind. My mind is only focused on the match.
–
You’ve only fought once in the last year. Is it a big difference for you than in the past, when you wrestled more often?
–
It’s my way, go step by step. When I was younger, I needed to fight as much as possible because I was learning to find my style of fighting. Now I’m just fine-tuning the details. Now that there are bigger breaks between matches, it helps me be better at every turn. I take it all as if it were the last. For example, the last training or a match, that’s why it helps me be a better fighter.
–
Teixeira is expected to want to go down with you. How much did you devote to this aspect of the fight?
–
It started at the beginning of the year. It was a preparation to become better at wrestling and jiu-jitsu. The effort was to incorporate wrestling into my attitude style of fighting, which was the hardest thing I had to accept. After a while, I found the key to achieving it. I think I can wrestle with him and face him. I’m not on earth like other wrestlers who want to promote jiu-jitsu and the like. Fighting on the ground is easy for me, ground and pound and getting to the end, nothing else.
–
Where do you think Glover’s biggest weaknesses are?
–
I don’t want to say it before the match because I want to use it. But everyone knows that he is good on earth and I am in a position. But I want to surprise him a little.
–
How are you aware of Glover’s tenacity that can lead him back at a later stage of the match?
–
I worked on it, I studied his style. I know he’s tough and he knows how to overcome tough wrestling moments. But I will try to push him to the end and most importantly I have to be one hundred percent accurate.
–
What does it mean to you when a legend like Georges St-Pierre says of you that you will be the future champion?
–
I read it just yesterday and it means a lot to me. Georges is a real fighter who no longer fights, but we are similar in that we love wrestling and fighting. It’s a great honor for me.
–
If you win the title, you will be the first Czech in the history of the UFC to do so. What does this mean for you?
–
It is a great honor to compete in the UFC for a title from a small country like the Czech Republic, where MMA is still growing. A few years ago, most people here didn’t even know what MMA was. It is now a very popular sport and I am very proud to be able to represent our small country in the title battle.
–
Former champion Jan Blachowicz will also watch the match. If you manage to win the title, do you take it as another opponent?
–
If I win, I don’t care who I fight with. But I’m looking forward to seeing him (smile).
–
Is it a big difference for you to fight in daylight? This is not the case in Europe.
–
There is no obstacle. Every wrestler must be able to fight at the time they are facing. Now I’m going to fight around lunch. Due to that, I had to change the time of the main training in preparation, coincidentally, even after this interview, I plan to train. I’ll be ready anyway.
—
