Sherdog’s 2022 Fight of the Year

In the moments following his improbable, last-minute championship victory against Glover Teixeira in the UFC 275 headliner, Jiri Prochazka uttered three definitive words.

“I never fold.”

The fact that Prochazka was able to wrest the light heavyweight strap from Teixeira on June 11 in Singapore was not surprising in and of itself. But the method by which he emerged victorious — a no-hooks rear-naked choke against a man who hadn’t been submitted in 40 previous fights — was quite shocking indeed, especially after a battle of attrition where Prochazka appeared to be less than a minute away from seeing his 12-fight winning streak come to an end on the judges’ scorecards. Instead, Prochazka, who has been billed as a modern-day samurai, dug deep and tapped out a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt believed to be one of the best grapplers in the division.

“Like I said before [the] fight, I’m ready to end it first or fifth round, doesn’t matter,” Prochazka said. “It doesn’t matter which technique.”

That finish, which turned out to be a candidate for “Submission of the Year,” along with everything that transpired leading up to it — including a “Round of the Year” nominee — makes the bout Sherdog.com’s selection for “Fight of the Year” in 2022.

Teixeira was something of a sentimental favorite heading into UFC 275. More than seven years removed from his first title shot, the affable Brazilian completed an improbable late-career resurgence by submitting Jan Blachowicz in the second round at UFC 267 to claim the 205-pound throne just two days after his 42nd birthday. There had been talk of Teixeira riding off into the sunset at the conclusion of 2022, but he didn’t look anything like a man ready to hang it up against Prochazka as their fight got underway.

It took Teixeira a little more than a minute to land his first takedown of the fight, and he dumped Prochazka back to the canvas again moments later, deftly moving to mount in short order. “The physicality of Teixeira is a sight to behold,” UFC commentator Jon Anik remarked as the Brazilian unloaded with ground-and-pound.

In what turned out to be a prevailing theme of the fight, Prochazka would escape the predicament and end the opening stanza with his own salvo of ground-and-pound. The Czech standout kept rolling early in Round 2, as he battered Teixeira with punches and a flying knee. This time, the late-round momentum swing belonged to Teixeira, as he eventually assumed top position near the end of the frame and unloaded with a series of brutal elbows — including one that opened a significant gash above Prochazka’s left eye. The challenger remained undaunted, however.

Round 3 was arguably Prochazka’s best. He hurt Teixeira with a knee to the body, which prompted the Brazilian to shoot for another takedown. Prochazka denied the attempt and powered his way into top position, where he appeared to have his foe in serious danger with a barrage of punches and elbows. However, an ill-advised brabo choke attempt granted Teixeira the reprieve he needed, and the champion was able to reverse position and end the period with damaging offense of his own. Still, the stats told the story, as Prochazka held a 43-to-12 advantage in significant strikes landed — the largest differential of any round in the fight.

Nonetheless, Teixeira’s experience seemed like it would pay off down the stretch. Prochazka’s rise to prominence was characterized by plenty of fast finishes, and UFC 275 marked his first venture to the championship rounds. Teixeira, meanwhile, was making the journey to Round 4 for the fourth time in his UFC career. Heading into their fight, Teixeira was well aware of his opponent’s exploits, in part because it wasn’t all that much unlike what he did in putting together a 15-fight winning streak before signing with the UFC.

“It’s very hard to do in the UFC. When I fought Jon Jones I was coming off a [long winning streak] — something like that too. With many knockouts," Teixeira said prior to UFC 275. "It’s not in UFC. It’s hard to do in UFC. That doesn’t mean much. I know he’s a great fighter, he’s a tough fighter, but it’d be hard to do a [similar] winning streak in here.”

Teixeira’s championship-round savvy paid dividends at first, as he authored the defining moment of the fourth period when he grounded Prochazka, moved to full mount and eventually locked in an arm-triangle choke. To his credit, Prochazka survived the predicament and even reversed into top position. Still, it was another round banked for Teixeira on two of the three official scorecards.

Teixeira appeared to be well on his way to victory in Round 5 — until he wasn’t. He rocked Prochazka on the feet and later assumed full mount with about 2:00 left. Had Teixeira survived until the final horn, he would have at worst won a split decision. Heading into the decisive frame, judges Ben Cartlidge and Clemens Werner had it 3-1 for Teixeira, while Michael Bell had it 2-2. As it turns out, Prochazka still had one last push left in him. The former Rizin title holder once again reversed position (his fourth reversal of the fight) with a little more than a minute to go and worked his way to Teixeira’s back. By the time “Denisa” locked in the rear-naked choke, no hooks were necessary. Teixeira was too exhausted to defend, the product of nearly 25 minutes of back-and-forth combat. It was the fifth-latest stoppage in UFC history.

Ever the perfectionist, Prochazka found plenty of room for improvement once he was given some time to process the performance.

“From my side it was a horrible fight, horrible performance,” Prochazka said at the post-fight press conference. “Honestly. You saw that fight. I just survived some moments.

“My life’s plan is to be dominant in the fight and not just be a survivor. To be a hunter, and that will be my next fight, and I will show that. I don’t want to fight like that. It’s tough, it’s full of blood, and it’s not beautiful – maybe it’s beautiful for you, you like to be entertained. But for a fighter, I like to fight clean.”

Teixeira, meanwhile, chalked it up to the nature of the sport. “Live by the sword, die by the sword,” he said.

Both men angled for a rematch in the weeks that followed, and the promotion obliged by booking Prochazka vs. Teixeira 2 at UFC 282 on Dec. 10. It wasn’t meant to be. Prochazka suffered a serious shoulder injury in training shortly before the event, and in true samurai fashion, vacated the belt to avoid holding up the division during a recovery process that could take up to a year. Teixeira will get a chance to regain gold in the meantime, when he faces Jamahal Hill for the vacant title in Rio de Janeiro on Jan. 21. If the stars align, perhaps there will be a sequel for Prochazka and Teixeira. Regardless of what the future holds, the now former champion will embrace the journey.

“There are no obstacles, just an opportunity to see the same path from a different angle and be stronger and more human,” Prochazka wrote on social media after relinquishing the belt. “Once you accept the path of the warrior or simply be absolutely honest to yourself, then you know deep inside what is false and what is true, where your path is.”