Procházka’s offensive was stopped in the second round by the Brazilian’s devastating left hook. The audience at New York’s Madison Square Garden rose to their feet, cheered and waited for replays.
However, they turned joy into indignation for many, because referee Marc Goddard ended the fight at the very moment when Jiří Procházka fell to the ground. Right after the winner, Alex Pereira, got off him, he stood up and began to casually bounce around on the spot near the cage.
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There was a duel Procházka vs. Pereira in the UFC ended early?
The booing of some fans was still in the cage by Samurai with a gentlemanly expression. “The ending was fine, I was out,” admitted Procházka. “However, I never stop, the body wanted to keep fighting,” he added immediately.
Even UFC president Dana White was clear, who briefly judged the whole “case”: “If Jiří says that the match was not terminated prematurely, then there is no debate.”
The new champion Pereira joined him at the press conference a few tens of minutes later. “I felt myself shaking him when I hit that left hook. He then fell at my feet. No, it wasn’t an attempt to pull down, but a fall after a hard bomb,” the 36-year-old Brazilian described his view. “His family, friends and supporters will tell him it was premature, but the termination was the right one,” he is clear.
