Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka has become most well-known for his extremely unique fight preparation.
Jiri Prochazka fought at UFC 300 this past April, returning to the win column after a round two knockout win against Aleksandar Rakic.
Ahead of the fight, the Czech fighter showed a slightly different side to him than normal, after he got angry with Rakic for saying he wasn’t a real-life Samurai.
Following his win Prochazka called for a title fight rematch against Alex Pereira, and it seems as though that may be the direction the promotion goes, with Pereira coming to terms with the idea.
Jiri Prochazka’s 3-day ritual explained
Before his scheduled title fight rematch against Glover Teixeira at UFC 282, the 31-year-old explained an intense ritual that he puts himself through to strengthen his mind ahead of some fights.
“That’s all in darkness for three days, and there you can work with your demons and train what you want.” Prochazka told MMAFighting at the time.
During the three-day ritual, Prochazka sits and meditates in a dark room with no food, just water. The 31-year-old’s goal is to focus on confronting his demons so that when he is in a fight, he is calm under pressure.
Although it may be an unusual and unnatural way of preparing for a professional fight, Prochazka has been an avid follower of the Bushido code and sometimes trains out in the wilderness by using trees as his punchbag.
Fans react as Jiri Prochazka prepares for another 3-day ritual
Despite his next fight not being officially announced yet, ‘BJP’ took to X (formerly Twitter) to let his fans know that he is partaking in another 3 days of darkness and no food.
This may be a hint that the Czech has booked his next fight, and is using his 3-day ritual as early preparation for his upcoming fight camp. Prochazka has recently admitted that he is considering a move down to middleweight for his next outing.
Jamahal Hill has recently lost his UFC 303 co-main event dance partner, as Khalil Rountree Jr was withdrawn from the fight after a doping violation, and the promotion are reportedly looking for a replacement.
Some fans, though, have taken this opportunity to highlight what Prochazka should be training on, instead of his meditation ritual.
One fan replied, “How about adding in some leg kick defense training too.”, with another saying, “When do you plan to start training defense against leg kicks? In your last two matches, you’ve been slowed down and unable to move well because your opponent kept kicking your legs.”
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