UFC star Jiri Prochazka recalls being lost in the freezing Las Vegas mountains for 18 hours: ‘I had frostbite’

Jiri Prochazka is known for locking himself in a pitch-black room for days at a time.

However, the former UFC light heavyweight champion nearly ran into disaster when he decided to go hiking through the immense darkness of the Las Vegas mountains in the dead of winter.

“I wanted to go to the Las Vegas Mountains, and I found some some top edge like Mount Charleston,” Prochazka told John Hyo from The AllStar Sport. “So … I went there, and then I realized, I need some more better shoes, better jacket. So I went back, I bought all these things like ski shoes and a leather jacket, the Garmin watch, all these things.

“But what was wrong was that I didn’t watch the map well, because the map showed me it’s just [a hike] for a few hours, like maybe six hours. After six hours of walking high altitude, then I realized that I have to come back, or I need to hurry to the end. So I just decided to make it.

“It took me more than 16, 18 hours. And I forgot to take the light with me, because I thought it will be just for six hours. Then I got lost on this mountain.”

Jiri Prochazka lost his toenail due to frostbite

Fortunately, Prochazka made it back to his vehicle and returned home, but later discovered that his lengthy excursion came with an unfortunate consequence.

“I went back [home], and next day, I realized that my toe on my left leg is a little bit black,” he said. “So I had frostbite, and right now, I feel it’s completely healed, but it took my nails [falling out], and it took six months to [grow] a full new nail and to feel better balance in the leg.”

After coming up short against Alex Pereira in November, Jiri Prochazka returns to the Octagon on April 13 as part of the loaded UFC 300 card in Las Vegas. Hoping to get back into the title picture at 205, ‘Denis’ meets division standout Aleksandar Rakic.