Oct 4, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, UNITED STATES; Jiri Prochazka (red gloves) reacts after the fight against Khalil Rountree Jr (blue gloves) during UFC 320 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

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“Why Did You Speak These” – Jiri Prochazka Reveals Almost Confronting Magomed Ankalaev And Ali Abdelaziz Before UFC 320

Social media trash talk has become part of the UFC game, but sometimes it crosses a line. Fighters use Twitter and Instagram to build hype and get under opponents’ skin. Most of it stays relatively harmless, just part of selling fights and generating buzz. But when someone goes too far with their words, real tension builds up. That’s exactly what happened between Jiri Prochazka and Magomed Ankalaev leading up to UFC 320.

After Magomed Ankalaev won the light heavyweight title at UFC 313, he went on a social media rampage. The Russian fighter started calling out basically everyone in the division, including Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka. His posts got pretty aggressive, and many suspected his manager Ali Abdelaziz was behind at least some of them. The Czech fighter doesn’t typically get involved in trash talk, so Ankalaev’s comments really got under his skin. Prochazka was scheduled to fight Khalil Rountree Jr. at the event, but he couldn’t stop thinking about settling things with Ankalaev first.

Jiri Prochazka Wanted Answers Before His Fight With Khalil Rountree Jr.

Jiri Prochazka (32-5-1) opened up about his frustration during a recent interview with Ariel Helwani. He admitted that before his fight with Khalil Rountree Jr., he was ready to march up to either Ankalaev or Abdelaziz and demand answers. Prochazka wanted to ask them directly why they were talking so much trash when he hadn’t attacked them first. The former champion felt genuinely disrespected by the constant online jabs.

“Before the Khalil Rountree fight, I was prepared to go to his manager [Abdelaziz] or Ankalaev and tell him, ‘What the f**k was this s**t, that you spoke about? Why did you do that? I didn’t attack you with anything, so why did you speak these bull s**ts?’ And my coach told me like, ‘Calm down, calm down, our fight is Khalil Rountree right now, and let’s focus just on this one.”

"Before this fight I was prepared to go for [Ali Abdelaziz] or for Ankalaev and tell him, 'What the fuck was this shit… Why you spoke these bullshits?"

My coach told me, 'Jiří calm down… Don't be focused on anybody else.' I'm happy I did that."

Jiří Procházka on his issues… pic.twitter.com/uti9jVVh24
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 6, 2025

Luckily for everyone involved, Prochazka’s coach talked him down from the confrontation. His corner told him to calm down and focus only on Rountree Jr, not on anyone else. That advice probably saved Prochazka from creating unnecessary drama before his own fight. Getting into altercations backstage doesn’t help anyone prepare for battle inside the octagon. Prochazka listened to his team and kept his focus where it belonged.

The Backstory Behind The Beef

The tension between Prochazka and Ankalaev wasn’t completely random. These two have history in the light heavyweight division, even though they have never fought each other. When Ankalaev finally won the belt and started running his mouth online, it felt personal to fighters like Prochazka. The Czech fighter doesn’t typically engage in verbal warfare, so Ankalaev’s relentless posting stood out as particularly annoying.

After watching Alex Pereira knock out Ankalaev at UFC 320, Prochazka grew emotional and celebrated the result. He admitted the reaction came partly from relief that someone had silenced Ankalaev’s trash talk. Prochazka even told Megan Olivi after his own victory that he genuinely dislikes the Russian fighter. That’s strong language from someone known for being respectful and spiritual.

Now Prochazka wants a trilogy fight with Pereira, believing he can finally beat ‘Poatan’ if they meet for a third time. Whether that happens remains to be seen, but at least he avoided unnecessary drama by not confronting Ankalaev beforehand!

(Image Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie – Imagn Images)

Alex Pereira

Jiri Prochazka

Khalil Rountree Jr.

Magomed Ankalaev

UFC 320

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!