Jiří Procházka: How The Death of His Father Made Him UFC Champion
When we are talking about a fighters identity, the part of their identity they show to the public isn’t a facade, it is who they truly are & how they truly live.
Every fighter has their own unique attributes and fighting style, some draw inspiration from the greatest in their respected fighting backgrounds. For Jiri Prochazka becoming the best meant one thing…
…he couldn’t do it by fighting like everyone else, being the same as every other fighter. His success can be chalked up to ONE thing. Becoming the MOST unique fighter in the UFC through following the art of the Samurai, from his fighting style to even his appearance & becoming the most unpredictable fighter that anyone has ever faced.
Perhaps what was even more unpredictable was the fact that a man from a village of 1,500 people would become a UFC champion, and do it in the most unorthodox way.
Upbringing
Born in Hostěradice, Czech Republic on the 14th of October 1992, to his mother and father. Growing up was quite difficult for Jiri.
Jiri stated that, “I was impulsive and reckless from the time I was a kid. I used to do all kinds of stupid things in elementary and high school. I took nothing seriously.” “We used to throw chairs or balloons at each other, but it was always me who took it too far and hurt someone or at least broke a window.”
See Jiri’s upbringing was quite a tragic one, as his father would pass away when he was just 6 years of age, passing away due to a stroke at the age of 27. With his mother having to raise him, from that point on, he had no father figure to point him in the right direction.
“I did not see my way of life clearly. The only thing I cared about was where I could burn my energy. I come from Hostěradice, near Znojmo, and I stuck with a party approach that included nothing but working out and pissing everyone off.”
As Jiri grew up he would find himself getting in trouble quite frequently, stating that, “I liked showing off because there was no role model in my life.”
Introduction To MMA & Rise In MMA
Prochazka was 16 years old when he started practicing Muay Thai. “That’s how I got into Muay Thai with Martin Karaivanov. It was with him that I found discipline and moved to complex MMA, but before? I used to get into fights wherever I could.”
He would go onto win a Muay Thai National Championship in 2011, before eventually transitioning to Mixed Martial Arts, where he would go 7 wins and 2 losses before facing Martin Šolc and defeating him for the GFC title as he won via Flying Knee in the third round.
Following this win his coach, Coach Jaromír Hovězák came to see him and his friend and gave them The Book of Five Rings, the life’s work of famous samurai Miyamoto Musashi.
“All this had happened during a time in which everyone had been patting me on the back because he managed to win the Czech title.”
This book had a profound impact on him as he read the book multiple times, and it gave him a different approach to his training, dieting and way of living, as Prochazka stated, “Suddenly, I started to see the lines of text in a different light. Up until that point, they made little sense to me, but then I felt the depth of them, reading about the way of a warrior, about the code of samurai called Bushido. It is just you and action, then you alone become action. It is a harmony with existence.”
“This thing transcended my previous experience and possibilities had entered my life. I saw it possible to devote myself to something which until that point was only seen in superhero movies. I began studying every word, accepting the thoughts as my own.”
This reminded Jiri that once you experience life to the fullest, you want nothing else. Further stating, “People value their expensive cars and big houses, or beautiful girls and they derive their identity from this. But that is all just a pose; they’re focused just on the surface.” This was because he believed that he was here to serve a bigger purpose.
Prochazka’s next match was against Viktor Bogutzki, in a bout that would only last two minutes. Stating “I strangled my opponent in the end, although this time I did not express my joy as usual. I was not unchained; I did not scream. Instead, I bowed and moved on.”
This showed significant growth from Jiri, clearly demonstrating the lessons he had learnt.
He stated, “I’ll tell you why The Book of Five Rings gave my life sense and order, so I can consciously live through every moment.” Further exclaiming, “What motivates and satisfies me in MMA is that I can keep moving forward.”
He continued to fight, earning three more wins and a draw in the process. But he exclaims that his next fight with Michal Fijalka was game-changing. As Fijalka’s loudness and energy threw Prochazka off, which actually made Jiri question himself, as he thought maybe he wasn’t as good as he thought he was.
But nonetheless as the fight started, Prochazka lost all fear, went into the cage, stating “Nothing could move me, my body was made of solid rock. — I was standing firmly against my opponent. I was willing to do anything to prove it.”
As fear would push him to courage, Jiri knocked his opponent down so bad that he would surrender before the second round.
Jiri would continue to fight across Europe, ending his time in Europe with 14 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw
Following this he accepted a contract with Rizin as he saw the Japanese are devoted to MMA. During this time his main focus was to keep improving, aiming towards masterful execution of techniques. As it was his highest goal, stating, “The baseline of a fight is victory, but it’s also about something more. It’s about how you experience your moments in the ring. — It is about connecting to the very core of the present moment, about eliminating the outside pressure. Then I can act with ease. Without fear, effortlessly.”
He would go on to make his debut with Japanese MMA promotion Rizin in late 2015, competing in a tournament, as he competed in 3 matches in one week. Beating his first opponent Satoshi Ishii via KO in the first round of the tournament. Then defeating Vadim Nemkov in the second round of the tournament, as Nemkov wouldn’t stand up after the round, ultimately giving up and awarding Jiri with the victory.
Jiri stated, “Both of us were trying to finish the other one up to the point of absolute exhaustion. I was this close to stopping breathing and passing out. — He was laying on his back watching me and in that one moment it all clicked in him. I went back to my corner, and he stayed on the ground.”
“No match was like that one ever again. I had reached a peak of physical effort and I was sure that I could get through anything that came at me.”
After winning his first two matches, he would face Muhammad Lawal in the finals, losing via KO in the first round. He says that he got lost in the moment, as he threw punches, but stopped watching his opponent’s movement, which led to his defeat, he stated, “That lesson was necessary for me to realize what fighting is about.”
In the midst of all the action, Jiri was also making radical transformations in his life, not just physically but mentally as well. He stated that, “My goal is to get to what samurai call Munen Musó. It’s a state in which a word, a thought and an action are one and the same. — I don’t want to say that I think something because the mind is only a story, an ego, your identity and past in your head.
“The mind forms how your body looks and is trying to bewitch your spirit, your most natural part. — Thanks to this, I began focusing on the present moment in which lies the essence of life. It’s about the way I breathe.”
“In moments like this I remind myself of the most important rule: Never abandon the path of a warrior. Be honorable and act the best you can, whatever happens.”
“That’s how I want to live, and I put my seriousness and responsibility into seemingly mundane tasks like a conversation with friends from my village. Whenever they start talking about their problems, they tell me every single detail. I stop them and ask them to use only words which they truly mean.”
“What I say I believe. — I’m aware that everything I say has consequences, whether I’m praising, criticizing or being honest, it’s always me.”
He went on to win his next two fights, getting injured in the second of those fights against Mark Tanios, which was at Rizin 2, Rizin Fighting World Grand Prix 2016, in the opening round, causing Jiri to withdraw from the tournament. The injury he suffered was a knee injury, which would keep him away from the octagon for a year.
As Jiri would slowly recover from injury, he would start preparation for his next bout. This was when his manager got an offer from the UFC, however he refused the promotion, stating that “I chose a different path.”
“I don’t want to fight there right now (in the UFC). Instead, I wish to move to the highest possible level of fighting, so maybe in a few years I can go to UFC as a warrior with a reputation, with a chance to show my path like my role model, Brazilian fighter Lyoto Machida.”
Prochazka would return to the octagon after a one year hiatus, and would defeat Willian Roberto Alves on his return fight, via TKO on September 29th, 2017. Following this he would win his next four fights, before coming up against Muhammad Lawal again, this time for the Rizin Light Heavyweight Championship. He would successfully beat Lawal in the third round via TKO, avenging his previous loss.
“At the beginning of my career, I thought the champion was someone who worked nonstop. Again, and again, over the limit. Today, nine years after my first fight, I’m only 25 and I know this approach causes many problems and imbalances that I need to fix.”
Jiri would fight two more times in Rizin, defending his title once, and successfully beating both opponents via KO in the first round.
Over the years his mentality shifted significantly, coming to understand that, “Even if I go for sparring, which is supposed to simulate fights, I do it very easily or to the max. There’s nothing in between because that’s what fight is about as well. You can’t think about the meaning of life or death in it because then your execution won’t be precise. You must believe you’ll win and survive but be ready for death and accept it as well. — You can’t let your mind take over, but you must keep your posture and discipline and say ‘it has come’ and accept it as it is.”
“It may seem ruthless, but it has to be this way. In the time of decision, you shall see what is strength and what is weakness. As master Musashi writes in his book: A man a woman sleep in the same bed, but they do not have the same dreams. A man walks alone.”
“If you say you’re in harmony with your existence but at the same time you’re looking for excuses for why you cannot do what you really want, because you have to take care of someone or something, you’re only giving away your immaturity. If you really wanted to, you would organize your life as you wish.”
“Only then will you become a true warrior, who is destined to be alone.”
Joining The UFC
Following his time in Rizin, Prochazka would make his UFC debut against Volkan Oezdemir, who was ranked #7 in the Light Heavyweight Division, and Jiri would win this fight via Knockout in the second round. He would then go onto face number #3 ranked Light Heavyweight Dominick Reyes, beating Reyes via knockout in the second round.
These two wins against high ranked opponents was enough to grant Prochazka a title shot opportunity against Glover Texeira. This fight was one of Jiri’s biggest challenges yet, with Jiri finding it hard to keep up with Texeira for portions of the fight. However, with about 30 seconds left of the fight, and with it looking very likely that Jiri would need a KO or submission to win the bout, Prochazka would submit Glover via rear-naked choke. Crowning him as the new Light Heavyweight Champion of the UFC.
After the win over Teixeira, Jiri would suffer a large shoulder injury during sparring practise, as his sparring partner took his back, he supplexed him, and Jiri landed awkwardly on his shoulder, causing him to head to hospital and get surgery.
This meant that Jiri would take another hiatus from the octagon to allow himself to properly recover, but like this injury Jiri mentally prepares himself for the difficult challenges of life, as he has purposely put up obstacles in his own path and looked for moments of discomfort.
He explained this by stating, “I planned to hike and fast for eight days in the mountains to cleanse my body and mind, but I forgot to take a sleeping bag. So I had to change plans. Instead of eight days, I was only there for three, but it was so cold at night that I couldn’t sleep. I was just laying in my tent, freezing, trembling, experiencing unexpected states which, in the end, enriched me.”
As he truly believes that the challenges we face and the experiences we go through are what build us up as humans.
Upon his return to the octagon, Jiri would come up against one of the hardest hitters in the promotion, Alex Pereira. This bout for the vacant Light Heavyweight Championship proved to be another roadblock in the path of Prochazka, as he would lose this bout via TKO in the second round.
After the defeat, Jiri would face Serbian fighter Aleksandar Rakić after Rakic was returning from injury, which was his first fight in almost two years. Against Rakic, Jiri would continue to display his unique fighting style, as Rakic would dominate in round 1, but Jiri would show off his unique essence in the cage and unpredictably knock Rakic out in the second round.
Although he does have a decent grappling ability, his unique fighting style is based primarily on his striking ability. He thrives on the feet, as he throws straight punches, and uses his exceptional footwork and athleticism.
He uses twitches and feints to his advantage, which create openings while he often switches stances, making his fighting style quite unique and very unpredictable.
He fights behind his lead jab, remaining very active with his hands, although he is not known for his knockout power. He throws combinations when he punches and also utilises his quick kicks often to surprise his opponents.
The one downside to his fighting style is, he tends to keep his hands down, which leaves him open to counterpunches, but luckily Jiri’s chin is very good and keeps him in the fight.
Jiri’s approach to Mixed Martial Arts is unique, he lives his life as a modern day Samurai, and although he may not be a Samurai, he uses the way of the Samurai to inspire him, and to push himself even further, and even lives his day-to-day life in accordance to how a Samurai lives, as he has used the way of the Samurai and fighting to guide him through life when he felt lost. As he uses it as his ‘why.’
“I wish for everyone, even you, to discover that the essence of life is based on two days. One, when you’re born. And the second, when you find out why.”
“Now I live this way. As time flows, I’m discovering a million paths that I could take, but I feel that this is what I want. I’ll follow this path no matter what.”
