When Jiri Prochazka stepped up on relatively short notice to take on Alex Pereira in the UFC 303 main event last summer, he gained what was likely the last bit of fans left for him to gain. To UFC devotees, it was a huge moment that saved one of the top events of 2024; to Prochazka, it was just another day in the office.
Because that’s what fighters do.
One fan, in particular, took note of the courage and confidence required to take on the multi-divisional boogeyman that is “Poatan” several weeks earlier than originally planned. And for Ashly McGarity, that moment unknowingly tied a knot in the thread of fate that would come back around several months later.