Jiri Prochazka explains viral pre-fight ritual ahead of UFC 300 fight: ‘I’m not a psycho’
Inside the Octagon, Jiri Prochazka is one of the most intense fighters in the game today. Outside of the Octagon, he’s a peaceful man who strives to be the absolute best version of himself.
Before his incredible second-round knockout of Aleksandar Rakic in the featured prelim at UFC 300, ‘BJP’ was spotted standing alone outside of T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. User @OGICEY posted the viral clip on X, noting that the former light heavyweight champion was in the same spot for roughly 20 minutes.
Speaking with media members following his second-round finish against Rakic, Prochazka was asked about the video and what led him to stand outside the venue moments before his fight.
“Yeah, that was me,” Prochazka said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “That’s my ritual, which I’m doing before every fight.
“When you are peaceful and quiet in yourself and when you are really connected to yourself, to the best version of yourself, and when you know what will come, what is before you, one day or two days or a week, it doesn’t matter, you have to work on that every day. They name that the ‘law of attraction,’ so you have to just follow your vision in an honest way” (h/t MMA Fighting).
In the beginning, things looked rough for Jiri Prochazka as Rakic repeatedly peppered his lead leg with a bevy of brutal calf kicks. Undeterred, Prochazka continued moving forward, walking down ‘Rocket’ determined to add another highlight-reel-worthy finish to his resume.
The moment came near the two-and-a-half-minute mark of the second round when Prochazka blasted Rakic with a booming right hand that had his opponent reeling. From there, it was just a matter of time.
His unrivaled intensity and aggressive approach inside the Octagon have made Prochazka one of MMA’s most feared combatants. Still, ‘BJP’ does not mind if fans approach him to say hello while he’s out and about, even if it’s before a big fight.
“I’m not a psycho,” Prochazka said when asked about other people in the video who may have thought to approach him. “It doesn’t matter, we can talk, we can whatever, but there is a time when everybody wants to be alone with our things. That’s my kind of meditation.
“That’s something when I started at 16 years old in high school with these things, to watch my visions of my best version in this life and follow them. This was that video, when I’m doing these things, because when you really want something, it’s not you want something. That dream, that vision wants you too and your work is to stay courageous and take action. That’s all.”
Jiri Prochazka bounces back following brutal loss to Alex Pereira
The big win over Rakic at UFC 300 scored Prochazka a history-making $300,000 performance bonus. But for him, it wasn’t about the extra paycheck, nor was it about competing at one of the biggest events in MMA history. It was about redemption.
“For me, it was not too much about the event, but after my last fight in New York with Pereira, it was for me important to make a spark inside myself,” Prochazka said. “To show to myself that storm, that hunter inside myself, and I’m very glad for that. Very glad.”
Pereira went on to finish Jamahal Hill in the first round of their UFC 300 headliner, potentially setting the stage for a rematch between ‘Poatan’ and Prochazka.
But first, it sounds like Pereira wants to handle some business at heavyweight.
