Jiri Prochazka made his UFC debut in July 2020. He joined the promotion as the defending Rizin light heavyweight world champion. On his debut he secured a jaw-dropping knockout win in under 50-seconds against Volkan Oezdemir. However, what attracted fans instantly towards him was not his fighting style. Moreover, it was Prochazka’s unique personality that garnered fan attention. Thus many fans were quick to question whether Prochazka was a samurai.
‘Denisa’ is a serious practitioner of the Bushido code also known as the Samurai code. Many speculate that this has to do with his time spent in Japan fighting for Rizin. The truth is that, it was actually a book that influenced Prochazka’s life more than he could have imagined.
A few years ago, Prochazka’s coach gave him a book by one of the most famous sword masters of all time, Miyamoto Musashi. The book titled ‘The Book of the Five Rings’. The book is about tactics, water, fire, earth, air, and nothingness are among the elements found in each of the circles or spheres. Within each domain, Musashi addresses distinct facets of strategy, many aggressive techniques for reading your opponent’s movements. Various approaches to timing and interpreting the fight’s rhythm and more. This book influenced Prochazka to follow the Bushido way of life and he has not looked back ever since.
How did the Bushido lifestyle impact Prochazka? And will it guide him to a title? Let’s take a closer look.
Samurai lifestyle to guide Jiri Prochazka to becoming a two-time light heavyweight champion?
In an interview with Givemesport, Prochazka went on to reveal why the book was so influential on him. He said,
“It’s not like that. It’s not like that, it’s nothing more than I read the book, and I started to include these rules in my life. Because I know it’s functional, it’s simple, and it’s powerful. And that’s the paradox because the simplest things are the strongest.”
At UFC 295, Prochazka has the opportunity to add his name to a list with only Jon Jones and Randy Couture. These are the only two-time light heavyweight champions in the history of the UFC. However, that will be a lot easier said than done.
The Czech fighter will have to rely heavily on his principles of Bushido to maintain calm against Pereira. ‘Potatan’ as seen in his previous matches might be stronger in the first few rounds and land some heavy shots. It will be important for Prochazka to maintain calm and not get carried away and exchange blow for blow.
Given their fighting styles, it looks to be an exciting encounter between the light heavyweights. Fortunately for us fans, all our questions will be witnessing the bout in a few hours from now.
