Prochazka after UFC 303 loss: 'I need to evolve' or 'don't fight again'

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka is being brutally honest with himself after Alex Pereira knocked him out for a second time.

In the wake of his second-round TKO defeat at UFC 303 on Saturday, Prochazka said he needs to either improve his skill set or walk away from mixed martial arts.

"Only one thing goes on my mind - that I need to evolve to the next level. Or don't fight again," Prochazka said in a video posted on X. "It's simple. To be the strongest, this is the way."

The Czech fighter fell to 1-2 in his last three outings after the rematch with Pereira. Prochazka also suffered a second-round knockout loss to the Brazilian at UFC 295 last November in a fight for the vacant 205-pound title. A stoppage win over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 300 came between the two Pereira fights.

Prochazka is all but out of the title mix - at least for the foreseeable future - now that he's lost twice to the current champion.

Prochazka captured UFC gold in June 2022 with a submission of Glover Teixeira, but he relinquished the belt later that year due to a severe shoulder injury. At the time, Prochazka held a 3-0 record in the promotion and now sits at 4-2.