Tony Ferguson isn’t the only UFC fighter pushing his body to extreme limits in training.
Jiri Prochazka is known for having some of the most bizarre combat sports workouts, similar to what you’d find in a Kill Bill movie.
‘BJP’ stars in one of the feature fights of UFC 311, opposite Jamahal Hill. Prochazka was knocked out by Alex Pereira at UFC 303 and will be looking for light heavyweight redemption; The same goes for Hill, who was another victim of ‘Poatan’ at UFC 300.
Jiri Prochazka’s bizarre training methods
To aid his punching power and core strength, Prochazka punches makiwara, a conditioning tool consisting of a padded piece of wood. When he’s not using the makiwara, Prochazka can be found punching trees in the same fashion, up to 500 times a day.
To prepare mentally, Prochazka engages in sensory deprivation. UFC CEO Dana White alleged that Prochazka had locked himself in a room with no light, food, or water for three days when he found out he was fighting Pereira at UFC 295.
In addition to all this is a plethora of unconventional training methods focused around situational awareness, body and mind connection, and contributing his whole body into combat-centric movements.
Jiri Prochazka follows a samurai code from a 17th century book
Prochazka follows the Bushido code from The 17th century Book of Five Rings by master swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. The book preaches several aspects of direct combat represented by the five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Void. For example, water represents adaptability, and fire represents having an advantage over the enemy through study.
Such is, Prochazka represents fire in his fights when he stands with his hands low and evaluates his opponent’s weak-points. “I’m not doing unpredictable things,” Prochazka told Firstpost. “… I just look for the space for attack.”