Jiri Prochazka conceded the referee was right to stop him from continuing as Alex Pereira won the vacant light-heavyweight title at UFC 295.
The TNT Sports commentary team queried whether the fight, at New York’s Madison Square Garden, could have been allowed to continue a little longer.
But after the second-round stoppage, Prochazka said: “I think it was right.
“I was out but I will never stop. I want to work on it and come back stronger than ever. I’ll be back.”
The Czech was fighting for the first time in 16 months after recovering from a shoulder injury that had forced him to vacate the belt without making a defence.
Referee Mark Goddard stopped the contest after Pereira forced Prochazka on to his back and landed in full mount.
Pereira had already landed a clean right hook, which sent Prochazka down to his knees, before connecting with several nasty elbow shots to the side of the head.
The Brazilian said: “I’m not surprised [it was stopped]. After the first left hook, he fell to my legs and I don’t think it was a bad stoppage.”
Prochazka beat Glover Teixeira to win the belt in June 2022. It was his third fight after signing for the UFC.
The pair were booked for a rematch in December but Prochazka suffered the “worst shoulder injury UFC doctors have seen”, according to UFC president Dana White.
Prochazka, 31, will have to bide his time for another opportunity to compete for the light-heavyweight belt with Jamahall Hill next in line.
Hill won the vacant belt in January, beating Teixeira, but also had to relinquish ownership after rupturing his Achilles tendon.
The American was in the crowd at Madison Square Garden.
Pereira takes his place among UFC stars
After sealing legendary status in the kickboxing sphere, winning titles at two weight classes with promotion Glory, Pereira has quickly risen to the top of the mixed martial arts world.
The Brazilian made his UFC debut in 2021 and, one year later in just his fourth trip to the octagon, he was crowned middleweight champion following a TKO win against Israel Adesanya.
Pereira lost the rematch at UFC 287 and subsequently moved up to light-heavyweight where he beat Blachowicz in July.
His win over Pereira means he is just the ninth fighter to win titles in two weight classes in the UFC and he has achieved that feat in record-breaking time – just seven fights.
When asked about the potential of facing Hill in his first defence, Pereira said: “I’m an active fighter and I want to fight him really soon.”
But the 36-year-old also made clear his intention to face old foe Adesanya for the third time in the UFC and the fifth time overall after they fought twice – both ending in victory for Pereira – while they were signed with Glory.
Pereira suggested Adesanya, who lost the middleweight title to Sean Strickland in September, should step up to light-heavyweight.
“I’m not the type of guy to call people out but there’s a guy that back in the day [who] did some interviews and said I was a guy who was just going to stay in the bar,” Pereira said.
“That motivated me. He rescued me from a bar to be here today. This guy said he just wants to come back and fight in 2027. I think he’s a very talented guy. It’s a waste of talent so I want to rescue him too, to come here and fight.
“I know that I’m not going to do what he did to me, and make me fight three times to fight him at middleweight. We have a lot of history. I want to make this fight happen. Adesanya, come to daddy.”
