After sending ‘Lionheart’ into retirement a battered and bloody mess, Chinese knockout artist Mingyang Zhang wants to test himself against one of the division’s heaviest hitters.
‘Mountain Lion’ landed his third straight finish inside the Octagon at UFC Kansas City, pummeling Anthony Smith en route to an especially brutal TKO.
The win will likely land Zhang a spot in the light heavyweight top 15, and he’s wasting no time trying to skyrocket himself to the top of the weight class.
“Next fight, I want Jiri Prochazka,” Mingyang told Full Send through his translator. “I watched your fight in Singapore, and you won your belt in that fight. I like your style. I respect your warrior spirit. Now, although you are not champion anymore, I would like to fight you, to test myself.”
In addition to a trio of highlight-reel knockouts in the UFC, Zhang has banked back-to-back-to-back $50,000 performance bonuses.
Prochazka has bigger fish to fry than Mingyang Zhang … For now
Coming off a big knockout victory over Jamahal Hill in his last outing, Prochazka is unlikely to risk his No. 2 ranking to fight someone who’s barely crept into the top 15, but as they say in MMA, anything is possible.
Prochazka has not yet booked his next outing inside the Octagon, but ‘BJP’ is likely one win away from another crack at reclaiming the 205-pound title. Of course, he’ll have to wait and see how things play out when reigning champion Magomed Ankalaev runs it back with former two-division titleholder Alex Pereira run it back. Ankalaev outworked ‘Poatan’ in March to take the title back to Dagestan.
His first title defense is expected to be a rematch with ‘Poatan’ later this year, though no official date has been announced.
