Prochazka TKOs Hill in battle of former UFC champions

Jiri Prochazka came out victorious in a back-and-forth fight with fellow ex-UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill.

Prochazka defeated Hill via TKO at the 3:01 mark of the third round at UFC 311 on Saturday night at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

Prochazka landed a left hand and then floored Hill with a devastating right hook. Hill momentarily returned to his feet but fell back to the ground after absorbing more shots. Prochazka got on top of Hill again and fired off a flurry of ground-and-pound, forcing referee Mike Beltran to step in.

The highly anticipated matchup was competitive from start to finish. Prochazka had a great start in Round 1, dropping Hill with a straight left and outstriking him. But Hill rallied in the second round, staying busier than Prochazka on the feet. Hill damaged Prochazka with punches to the body and landed a solid uppercut. All three judges scored the fight 19-19 heading into the third round.

Prochazka is back in the win column after suffering a knockout loss to 205-pound champion Alex Pereira at UFC 303 last June. The 32-year-old has alternated wins and losses in his past five Octagon appearances.

Hill was also coming off a knockout defeat to Pereira - at UFC 300 last April - and is now riding a two-fight skid.

Prochazka claimed the light heavyweight title with a submission of Glover Teixeira in June 2022 but relinquished the belt later that year after suffering an injury. Hill captured the vacant championship in January 2023 and then also gave it up due to an injury.

Pereira knocked out Prochazka in a November 2023 vacant title bout and has since defended the championship three times.