Was Jiri Prochazka a part of football hooliganism in Poland? The untold story of the UFC light heavyweight's formative yearsÂ
Jiri Prochazka is undoubtedly one of the most popular figures in the UFC. As a young boy, Prochazka was massively influenced by European football culture and played as an amateur for TJ Druzstevnik Hosteradice.
Prochazka's father passed away when he was only six years old. Growing up without having an older authority figure guiding him, 'Denisa' adopted an ungovernable lifestyle as a teenager and indulged in football hooliganism in his hometown of Brno, Czech Republic.
Football hooliganism usually refers to groups or 'gangs' of hardcore supporters of a club that partake in violent or destructive behaviors at sporting events. Most European football clubs have their own distinctive group of fanatical supporters who are popularly referred to as 'Ultras'.
As a teenage football fan, Jiri Prochazka got involved with the 'Ultras' of his local football club, FC Zbrojovka Brno, and got into street fights regularly. He even partook in organized group street fights with other youths involved in football hooliganism and once participated in a 30 vs. 30 brawl.
In an interview with The AllStar, 'Denisa' opened up about his days running around with hooligan crews and revealed the reason behind his involvement. He said:
"In Brno, there is a football club. There is a group of hooligans, and they invited me to go with them for a fight. 30 vs. 30 guys. I was 17 or 18... I just was like, 'Let's go, let's go. Where was the action?'... When I was a young guy, if it was in a club or in the street, wherever there was action, I was there."
Watch the full video below:
Jiri Prochazka on USADA giving him panic attacks due to early morning visits
Jiri Prochazka recently opened up about being tested by the USADA early mornings and how it gave him panic episodes.
It's no secret that the UFC and the USADA will part ways come January. While the drug testing agency's relationship with the promotion has been fruitful for the most part, they've had their share of controversies over the years. One of the most common complaints against the USADA was their random testing visits.
With USADA no longer in the picture, most UFC fighters are over the moon. That includes Jiri Prochazka. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, he stated that sometimes, the drug-testing agency showed up at his door at six in the morning. He said:
"Sometimes it was like, 'Oh, today they will come, today they will come, I need to be prepared... In the Czech Republic, it was not like here in the U.S. they just take little blood, like a drop, small drop [from the thumb], but they took a lot of blood... Now I'm free."
Prochazka is set to face Alex Pereira in a light heavyweight title fight at UFC 295 this weekend.