‘USADA is going down right now’ — Jiri getting tested less since loss of UFC title
“After I gave up the title, USADA is going down right now. So I’m really glad for that.”
No longer being a UFC champion has its benefits, according to Jiri Prochazka.
The former light heavyweight titleholder revealed during a recent interview with Ariel Helwani (h/t MMA Fighting) that he has has received significantly less visits from USADA since he gave up the title, which means no more rude wake-up calls at 5 a.m.
“After I gave up the title, USADA is going down right now,” Prochazka said on The MMA Hour. “So I’m really glad for that. If they will hear that, thank you — please hear that.”
“They came every time around 5, 6 a.m., and that was every time a nice morning to take my blood twice from the hand, from the shoulder, and then they took the urine,” he added. “It was really funny time [over] three, four months with them.”
Prochazka, who fights out the Czech Republic, was forced to relinquish his title due to a nasty shoulder injury that forced him out of a highly anticipated rematch with Glover Teixeira at UFC 282.
With the title still vacant, Prochazka is willing to take on any opponent in his next fight, whether that be Teixeira, Hill, or even Ankalaev.
“Now, it’s the light heavyweight division is going so fast, so I don’t know who will be there, so I don’t want to say,” he said. “But in the next fight, in all the fights, I have no favorite in the fight, Glover or Hill. For me, it doesn’t matter. Show me the best opponent, and I will win.”
Prochazka is slated to make his return to the UFC in the coming year, once he has fully recovered from his injury. In his absence, Glover Teixeira and Jamahal Hill will fight to determine the next light heavyweight champion at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The pay-per-view takes place on Jan. 21, 2023.