Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka will fight Aleksander Rakic in one of the first match-ups officially announced for the eagerly anticipated UFC 300 event in Las Vegas on April 13th.
The 31-year-old Prochazka won the 205lb title in June of last year with a submission finish of Glover Teixera, but then had to vacate the 205lb title due to suffering a serious shoulder injury.
After an almost 18-month layoff Prochazka returned to fight for the vacant belt against former middleweight champion Alex Pereira at UFC 295 in November, but suffered a 2nd round TKO loss. Nevertheless, he still holds down the No.2 spot on the light-heavyweight ladder heading into his next match-up.
As for the 31-year-old Rakic, a torn ACL left him unable to continue in the third round of his fight with former champ Jan Blachowicz in May of last year, leading to a TKO loss.
After undergoing a lengthy recovery period, Rakic was scheduled to rematch Blachowicz at UFC 297 in January of next year, but after his opponent withdrew due to a shoulder injury the 5th ranked 205lb contender now faces Prochazka instead at UFC 300.
UFC 300 does not yet have a main or a co-main event booked, but stay tuned as other big fights are now starting to filter through for what promises to be the most stacked card of 2024.
