Jiří Procházka details why he was once hesitant to accept a Navajo Stirling fight for UFC Qatar

Jiří Procházka is taking on a massive risk on Nov. 21, because at UFC Qatar he will face undefeated knockout artist Navajo Stirling in the main event. While it's a matchup with guaranteed action, it also does a lot more for Stirling, who is the #7 light heavyweight on the Meta UFC Rankings and #5 on the Media Panel Rankings. Procházka, meanwhile, is ranked #3 by Meta UFC and #2 by the Media Panel, so it's understandable that he was initially wary of the matchup.

Jiří Procházka recognizes the danger posed by Navajo Stirling

In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Jiří Procházka was asked about his thoughts on the Navajo Stirling matchup. From the fan perspective, it's a banger fight featuring two heavy-handed strikers who always look for the finish. However, entertainment value means nothing to Procházka, who is aware of the big risk he's taking. The gap between his top three spot in the division and Stirling, who is either fifth or seventh depending on the ranking system, means that he stands to gain little from the fight itself.

A win over someone ranked that low does nothing for him in terms of earning another title shot, especially as he's coming off a first-round knockout to newly minted champion Carlos Ulberg at UFC 327.  A loss, though, would be a large blow to his championship prospects. Stirling, by contrast, is in relatively safe territory, because a win surely guarantees him a title fight, while a loss wouldn't be too damaging as it would come against a higher-ranked former champion.

Procházka understands all of this, so when asked if he's excited by the matchup, he gave an honest assessment (7:32):

"First, I didn't like that fight because everybody knows he's a young guy, he's a winning streak, he's a low position and he's going really fast. And it's a little bit risky. Not little bit, it's risky for someone in a position like me, but Ankalaev didn't want to fight. Costa didn't want to fight. First, sometimes they said, 'I wanna fight.' Then they declined it. Then, second one, they wanted to fight, then he declined it, so I was a little bit pissed off from the communication with all these guys in light heavyweight because nobody wanted to fight. So, I said, 'UFC, who's there? Who wants to fight?'"

It's understandable that Procházka was initially cautious. He is coming off a loss to Ulberg, while Stirling is undefeated. Furthermore, Stirling has already beaten a former light heavyweight champion after becoming one of the few fighters to ever knock out Jan Błachowicz, who he finished in round one at UFC Fight Night 283.

A higher-ranked name or more high-profile fighter would have been preferable to Procházka, who is also frustrated at the lack of commitment from the likes of Paulo Costa and Magomed Ankalaev, both of whom have only fought once in 2026, with Ankalaev even teasing a heavyweight move.