Chael Sonnen says Jiří Procházka is “being a baby” after UFC 303 knockout loss

Chael Sonnen thinks Jiří Procházka’s post-UFC 303 comments about evolution will do more harm than good when it comes to his career.

Procházka lost to UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira by second-round knockout at UFC 303 on Saturday. The loss came just seven months after Pereira defeated him for the then-vacant light heavyweight title by controversial stoppage.

After the loss, Procházka promised to get back to the drawing board and focus on evolving his skills. He said that if he doesn’t evolve, he shouldn’t be competing.

Sonnen thinks that Procházka’s outcome-based focus isn’t the mindset of a championship-caliber fighter.

Chael Sonnen criticizes Jiří Procházka’s post-fight comments

In a recent segment on his YouTube channel, Sonnen criticized Procházka’s post-fight demeanor.

“Jiří Procházka, already talking to fans, already doing some weird Jiří stuff… being a baby,” Sonnen said. “He says he has to evolve or he’s gonna quit, and that’s a very interesting statement. If anything, that’s basic biology 101…you either evolve or you don’t. It’s a very dangerous game. In theory, you do want to evolve and grow, it’s just an interesting game in practice…

“But this signals it might be the beginning of the end…when you lose a contest, you can’t decide that’s the time to change things. You can’t be outcome-based, it’s a big mistake, the champs don’t make it, but the top contenders do. If you are outcome-based, as opposed to performance-based, you’re really missing the No. 1 philosophy you need to extend your career in the sport.”

Procházka defeated Aleksandar Rakić at UFC 300, before getting the short-notice call to rematch Pereira at UFC 303. This came after Conor McGregor withdrew from his scheduled main event with Michael Chandler due to injury.

Procházka remains undoubtedly one of the best light heavyweights, but Sonnen has real concerns about whether or not the former titleholder can return to elite form.