for the inaugural Rizin FF Light Heavyweight Championship. He won the fight via technical knockout in the third round. Procházka faced Fábio Maldonado on October 12, 2019 at Rizin 19: Lightweight Grand Prix 1st Round at a catchweight of 100 kgs (220.4 pounds). Procházka weighed in at 97.90 kgs (215.8 pounds) for the bout. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. Procházka defended his title against C. B. Dollaway on December 31, 2019, at Rizin 20. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. This was the last fight on the Procházka's contract with Rizin. After the fight, he signed a new deal with the UFC and vacated his title. Ultimate Fighting Championship Debut and contender fight Procházka signed a contract with the UFC in January 2020. He made his promotional debut against former UFC Light Heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir on July 11, 2020 at UFC 251. He won via knockout in the second round and was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus award. Procházka was expected to face two–time UFC Light Heavyweight Championship title challenger Dominick Reyes on February 27, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 186. However, in late January, Reyes was pulled from the fight, due to injury, and the bout was rescheduled for May 1, 2021 at UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Procházka. In a back and forth fight, Procházka won the fight via knockout in the second round. With this win, he was awarded the Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night bonus awards. UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Procházka was scheduled to face Glover Teixeira for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship on May 7, 2022 at UFC 274. However, the bout was postponed to June 11, 2022 at UFC 275 for undisclosed reasons. In a back-and-forth fight which saw both fighters get dropped multiple times, Procházka won the bout and title via rear-naked choke submission in the fifth round, becoming the first Czech fighter to win a UFC championship. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award and the Crypto.com "Fan Bonus of the Night" award paid in bitcoin of US$20,000 for second place. Procházka was booked to rematch Teixeira at UFC 282 on December 10, 2022. However, it was announced on November 23, 2022 that Procházka was forced out of the fight due to an injury to his right shoulder, and that he had