3 reasons why UFC Vegas 25 star Jiri Prochazka is box office gold
Jiri Prochazka is a UFC light heavyweight fighter who is currently ranked number 5 in the division. Having made his UFC debut in 2020, Prochazka is set to appear at UFC Vegas 25 against Dominick Reyes next. The Czech MMA fighter has all the makings of a superstar and any MMA fan can tell that he belongs in the future Hall of Fame.
Jiri Prochazka has earned a reputation in global MMA circles for his unreal knockout prowess. With a career record of 27-3-1, he has an unbelievable 26 finishes. Prochazka is known for his catchphrase, "BJP (Bomby jak píča)", which roughly translates to "Bombs like cu*t" in English.
At the age of 20, Prochazka knocked out Czech MMA pioneer Martin Solc via flying knee to win the GCF light heavyweight championship. Owing to the highlight-reel finish, the bout was awarded the 'Czech Fight of the Year' title in 2013.
3 reasons why UFC Vegas 25 star Jiri Prochazka is box office gold
Jiri Prochazka is a national Muay Thai boxing champion, a follower of the samurai moral code, and has indulged in organized football fighting in the past. But that's not all. In this article, we look at three reasons why the UFC Vegas 25 star Jiri Prochazka is box office gold.
#3 - Crazy appearance
Jiri Prochazka made his promotional debut at UFC 251 against Volkan Oezdemir. He won the bout in the second round via KO, which earned him the Fight of the Night bonus.
In his debut, Jiri Prochazka looked normal, although his body language was unusual. During the fight against Oezdemir, Prochazka was repeatedly assuming a kung-fu stance and keeping his guard down.
Just a few days ahead of his UFC Vegas 25 event, the Czech fighter got himself a new hairdo that suits his persona. The new hairstyle screams of violence and can probably make Dominick Reyes consider his career choices.
Either through his fighting style or his appearance, Jiri Prochazka is sure to catch a lot of eyeballs when he faces #3 light heavyweight fighter, Dominick Reyes, on 1st May, 2021.
#2 - Old-school training routines
If you walk into Jiri Prochazka's gym, you are likely to not find any modern day equipment and state-of-the-art training facilities. What you will find are dusty walls, rugged floor mats and a graffiti on the wall that reads "Win now.. Win here".
A big part of Prochazka's training session includes air-boxing in the middle of a forest in the South Moravian Region of Czech Republic. His Instagram posts give us a sneak peek of how he stays in fight shape. Underwater swimming in freezing lakes and running through snow-laden mountains, etc., are just a few of his go-to training regimes.
Jiri Prochazka started training in Muay Thai at the age of 16 during his time at the Brno Protective Service Secondary Academy. Right after graduating from the academy, he won the Czech national Thai boxing championship in 2011.
His work ethic, old-school training regimes, challenging geographical terrain in his native place and his talent can remind us of Khabib Nurmagomedov to a certain degree.
#1 - Jiri Prochazka is a knockout wizard
In 2013, Jiri Prochazka won the inaugural light heavyweight championship at Czech Republic's largest MMA promotion, Gladiator FC, via a flying knee knockout. The win was not against a regular opponent but one of the MMA pioneers from Czech Republic named Martin Solc.
In the first three years of his MMA career, Prochazka amassed a record of 14-2-1. All of his 14 wins were through stoppages (12 KO/TKO, two submissions). Rising through global MMA ranks, Prochazka collected the light heavyweight titles in GFC and Rizin FF.
Having fought 31 times in his pro MMA career, Jiri Prochazka has finished in all but one of his wins. A well-rounded lethal striker, Prochazka also has five stoppages to his name via flying knees and head-kicks.
In his promotional UFC debut against Volkan Oezdemir, the Czech sensation landed a total of 33 times, all of which were considered significant strikes. While he ate more punches from Oezdemir, all it took for Prochazka to put the UFC veteran out was a classic one-two combo.
Set to face Dominick Reyes at UFC Vegas 25, Jiri Prochazka is a favourite despite it being his only second fight in the MMA promotion.