Jiri Prochazka argues his UFC Comeback of the Year award winning finish of Khalil Rountree Jr.’s wasn’t really a comeback at all.

Former light heavyweight champion Prochazka (32-5-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) delivered one of the most spectacular performance of 2025 when he took Rountree Jr.’s best shots for more than two rounds before turning the tables in the third and scoring a highlight knockout.

The UFC named the win as its 2025 Comeback of the Year on Monday under the “UFC Honors” series, and while Prochazka was grateful, he said he views the fight in a different light (via X):

🙏
Appreciate it and one more thing.
It was not comeback.
I watched that 2 days back, and here is my result.
I controlled my opponent all the fight.
Even if he was many time successful with his techniques, I controlled distance, rhythm and precision of hits.
Now is time to make… https://t.co/TRBzgNpXj8

— Jiri BJP Prochazka (@jiri_bjp) January 13, 2026

Prochazka, No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie light heavyweight rankings, had a memorable year in 2025 with stoppages of Rountree Jr. and former champ Jamahal Hill, and he hopes that set the stage for even bigger things in 2026.

The 33-year-old Czech standout is angling for a championship fight next, be it a trilogy with Alex Pereira where he’s 0-2 in the series, or an interim/vacant title bout against Carlos Ulberg if “Poatan” moves up to heavyweight.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jiri Prochazka protests basis of UFC Comeback of the Year award