Jan Blachowicz says Jiri Prochazka should fight Aleksandar Rakic in No. 1 contender fight

UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz says that Jiri Prochazka should fight Aleksandar Rakic in No. 1 contender fight at 205lbs.

Blachowicz takes on Glover Teixeira this fall at UFC 266 in his second light heavyweight title defense after getting the best of Israel Adesanya earlier this year at UFC 259. While we know that Teixeira is the next man in line to fight for the belt, after that, it’s hard to say who is next in line for the title. The smart money is on Prochazka, who has knocked out Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes in his first two UFC fights, but Rakic is 6-1 overall in the UFC and isn’t far back from the belt. Then there’s also Magomed Ankalaev, who is 6-1 overall in the Octagon, as well. Any of these three men could be a future Blachowicz foe.

Speaking to James Lynch, Blachowicz was asked who he thinks will be next in line to fight for the belt after Teixeira. As far as Blachowicz goes, the fight that should happen next is Prochazka vs. Rakic for the No. 1 contender spot, though Ankalaev is a dark horse.

“I believe that I will beat Glover and I will defend my belt again. After that, maybe they’re going to give me Jiri. I think he needs to do one more fight against Rakic, then we’re gonna know who’s going to be the next contender for the belt. And a lot of people forget about (Magomed) Ankalaev. He’s also in the game and maybe one of these guys will be my next opponent after Glover,” Blachowicz said.

Do you agree with Jan Blachowicz that Jiri Prochazka should fight Aleksandar Rakic for the next title shot at 205lbs, or has Prochazka already done enough to get the next title shot?