6 Ups And 2 Down's From UFC 251
6. Up: A New Challenger Has Arrived
Jiří Procházka lived up to the hype, surviving a hard-hitting back and forth first round to become the first man to completely knock out Volkan Oezdemir cold. It was a brutal finish that perfectly introduced him to fight fans who are unaware of the former Rizin champion.
Jiří was coming in on an impressive ten fight win streak, but with those wins being mostly against aging veterans, it raised a lot of questions when he was given a top 10 ranked contender in his UFC debut.
He passed the test, showcasing his awkward style that focuses on fan-friendly brawling, and earned a Performance of the Night bonus for his troubles. Considering Volkan was on a two-fight win streak and was ranked number seven in the Light-heavyweight rankings, Jiří should find himself skipping the queue and gaining a top-five ranked opponent next.
On the biggest night of the year for fight fans so far, he couldn't have asked for a larger stage for his coming out party. Maybe now he'll also be granted a Wikipedia page for fans to learn more about him.