Each MMA fighter nurtures a distinct fighting style. It comes from their deepest beliefs and represents their life philosophy. Jiri Prochazka’s fighting style comes from the samurai code of behavior: bushido. It represents fighting with honor, never giving up, and being loyal to oneself. With every match, the Jiri Prochazka fight style shows he is fighting for himself and his fans.
There is a heartwarming story behind Jiri Prochazka’s fighting style. As a child, he carried a lot of bitterness around and acted as a hooligan. It's only after he read one special book that he turned his life around. That set the stage for his UFC career and defined him as a fighter. As a result, Jiri Prochazka’s record is 30 wins with only 5 defeats and 1 draw.
Jiri Prochazka’s Early Life and Background
Jiri Prochazka's nationality is Czech. He was born on October 14, 1992, in Znojmo, Czech Republic. He lost his father when he was only six and looked for a guiding principle for many years. Jiri Prochazka's hometown had hardcore soccer fans. As a kid, he joined a group of them in search of fights and camaraderie.
Jiri first started professional fighting at 17, choosing to go with Muay Thai. Two years later, he won the Muay Thai national title and turned his eye to MMA. That revealed his strong desire to learn different styles and his hunger for success. He moved to Japan and started climbing the MMA ranks. Jiri Prochazka's Japan title win helped him gain fame, so he later moved to the US to take part in MMA fights.
It's during his stay in Japan that he will define his fighting style. His coach gifted him a special book where Jiri finally found the rules he was looking for. It was "The Book of Five Rings" that defined the Jiri Prochazka fight style with its tips on bushido. From it, Jiri got inspiration for his fighting mindset, timing, and style. Once you look into his matches, you'll see how bushido figures into his fighting style.
Fight Style and Techniques
The Jiri Prochazka fight style focuses on core stability, especially during punches. The tree-punching exercise helps Jiri land his punches while being stable. But, Jiri also uses animal movements. In a viral video, Jiri shows that he moves like a cheetah or a zebra to confuse his opponents.
Jiri has another unusual advantage: his chin. Punches to Jiri's chin don't seem to do much damage, causing MMA fans to speculate. By comparing Jiri's pictures with and without his beard, the fans realized Jiri has a weak chin. The beard hides the true location of Jiri Prochazka’s chin, causing punches thrown at it to whiff. Jiri can then get in the opponent's face while appearing indestructible.
Here are some notable fights that showcase Jiri Prochazka's fight style:
Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka
Despite Jiri being a UFC Light Heavyweight fighter, he fought Alex Pereira. He lost several times because Alex is much stronger than him. In fact, Alex has been considering a move to heavyweights. In the Jiri Prochazka vs Alex Pereira fight on June 29, 2024, Alex won mere seconds into round 2. All it took was one swift kick to the head to neutralize Jiri Prochazka’s fight style.
Glover Teixeira vs Jiri Prochazka
In June 2022, Jiri challenged Glover, an absolute monster fighter, for the UFC title belt. That will be one of Jiri Prochazka’s most famous UFC fights. Jiri won in the 5th round by a rear-naked choke. That crowned him as one of the best Czech fighters. After the fight, Jiri showed his samurai ethics by apologizing for taking "the lazy way" to victory.
Glover was an old man when Jiri defeated him. That is a natural consequence of new generations challenging the old ones. That will happen to Jiri too, with Leo Brichta as a possible successor.
Training and Preparation
Jiri trains like a Spartan would, forcing his body and mind to adapt to troubles to stay sharp. He chooses a remote location with few amenities and does everything there himself. In 2022, he trained in an isolated cottage in the middle of a Czech forest. There was electricity there but no running water, forcing him to fetch it from a well. He made the training equipment there himself from timber. That is a part of Jiri Prochazka’s fighting style, helping him focus and calm his mind.
Jiri Prochazka's training includes punching a tree at least 500 times a day. He does wear his UFC gloves, and he wraps the tree in a thin mat, but still. After that, he goes to the punching bag and trains his knockout power some more. That exercise toughens his fists for when the real fight begins. Jiri says no other form of martial arts training will do for him. He wants to "show something crazy, something new," and so he has to train like that.
Jiri also drinks Samurai Shot, a green tea energy drink with no alcohol, before training. He says it helps him with his metabolism and that he drinks it instead of coffee.
Samurai Influence and Philosophical Approach
Jiri Prochazka cherishes his samurai book. He still carries it around, even though it's tattered, and reads from it. He doesn't mind when people call him "Jiri Prochazka, the Samurai." He also has a samurai outfit and a katana to go with the samurai book. That samurai persona helped him during his stint in Japan, when he needed to be calm.
Jiri carries that sense of calmness with him into the ring. He says there's no secret to Jiri Prochazka’s fighting style — he stays calm, looks for weak spots, and attacks. But, we also know that a part of bushido is being humble to hide one's true strength. Flexibility is another lesson from the book, which says that a samurai must use many weapons. Indeed, Jiri is explosive in the ring and surprises his opponent with his varied attacks.
The Jiri Prochazka fight style has the samurai approach written all over it. Jiri said that "we all have to fight at some time, in different ways." He added that each fight is also a chance to learn something new. That is close to one lesson from his samurai book.
Jiri uses several intense techniques to gain a clear mind. For example, he meditates underwater to maintain his professional record. If you want to do the same, there are easier ways. You can achieve the same clarity of mind by finding an online casino and playing free spiny.
Personal Life
Jiri Prochazka's life was full of influences that moved him towards MMA. He played “Tekken,” a fighting video game, which inspired him to learn how to fight. He also watched legendary MMA fighters, such as Mirko Cro Cop, for inspiration.
Jiri Prochazka has no wife and no children. In fact, he is not in a relationship either, but he did date a girl a few years ago. Her name was Kamila Kordulikova. They broke up sometime in 2019. He avoids using modern technology and doesn’t even have a car.
According to Jiri, he wants to focus on his training and career. Hence, he has no time for socializing or relationships and why he spends time in the cottage. That is in line with his bushido mindset, in which a warrior has to be ready to die and leave nothing behind.
Jiri says that bushido helped him find purpose in his life. Thanks to the samurai mindset, he focuses on his performance in the cage, nothing else. That helped him overcome a painful stage in his life. He wishes to inspire others to find the same sense of purpose he did and be ready to die for a victory.
An MMA Fighter Worthy of Admiration
Jiri's opponents know how he fights and they respect him for it. Win or lose, they know Jiri will give them a true test of their skills. Jiri Prochazka’s fighting style means he doesn't pull any punches, but they never go below the waist. In and out of the ring, Jiri acts with honor, and for that he deserves our admiration. Let's hope he stays a part of MMA so that young fans and fighters can admire him for many years.
