Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka has become best known for his extremely unique fight preparation.
Jiri Prochazka competed at UFC 300 in April of this year, defeating Aleksandar Rakic by knockout in the second round.
Ahead of the bout, the Czech fighter showed a slightly different side, taking offense at Rakic’s comments that he wasn’t a real samurai.
Following his win, Prochazka demanded a rematch with Alex Pereira for the title, and Pereira has been open to the idea, so it looks like that may be the direction the promotion will take.
Jiri Prochazka’s three-day ritual explained
Ahead of his upcoming title rematch against Glover Teixeira at UFC 282, the 31-year-old explained the rigorous rituals he imposes on himself to get himself mentally tough for some fights.
“You get three days in the dark, you get to face your demons and train however you want,” Prochaska told MMAFighting at the time.
During the three-day ritual, Prochazka sits and meditates in a dark room, fasting on no food and only drinking water. The 31-year-old’s goal is to focus on confronting his own demons and remaining calm under pressure on the fight stage.
It may seem like an unusual and unnatural way to prepare for a professional fight, but Prochazka is a devout follower of the teachings of Bushido, and sometimes trains in the wilderness, using trees as punching bags.
Fans react as Jiri Prochaska prepares for new three-day ritual
Even though the next match is yet to be officially announced, the ‘BJP’ took to X (formerly Twitter) to inform fans that they will again be undergoing three days of darkness and fasting.
This could be a hint that the Czech boxer is booking his next bout and using the three-day ritual as early preparation for his upcoming fight camp. Prochazka recently admitted that he is considering a weight class move to middleweight for his next bout.
Jamahal Hill recently lost his dance partner for the co-main event of UFC 303. After Khalil Rountree Jr. withdrew from the bout due to a doping violation, the promotion is reportedly searching for a replacement.
However, some fans have used the opportunity to highlight how Prochazka should be training instead of engaging in meditation rituals.
One fan responded, “Why not incorporate leg kick defense training as well?”, while another commented, “When are you planning to start training leg kick defense? In your last two fights, your opponents kept kicking you in the legs, which made you sluggish and you couldn’t move well.”
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