Why the UFC’s most spiritual fighter must now overcome his own demons

Jiri Prochazka does not fit the mould of your mixed martial arts archetype. He would feel more at home among the fictional phenoms of the professional wrestling world. Because in this industry of big personalties, the Czech behemoth is no mere mortal; he’s a different beast entirely.

Whether it’s staring down arenas in the dead of night or swimming under frozen lakes to “face the essence of loss or death”, scarcely-believable footage of Prochazka in the wild gives vibes of a nature documentary. His samurai mystique, combined with an all-action fight style, makes him one of the UFC’s most bizarre and brilliant commodities.

But Prochazka is not just a gimmicky attraction. He is a force to be reckoned with. And on Saturday, he may usher light-heavyweight into something of a new era when he faces Carlos Ulberg for the vacant title in the main event of UFC 327, addressing unfinished business in the process.

Jiri Prochazka fights for the UFC light-heavyweight title this weekend (Getty Images)

Prochazka has reached the pinnacle of the division before. The Czech dethroned veteran Glover Teixeira in June 2022 after experiencing a rapid rise through the ranks, but his time at the top ended quickly and abruptly as he was forced to vacate the title due to injury.

His mission to reclaim the crown happened to coincide with the reign of terror of one Alex Pereira, arguably the UFC’s most formidable champion in recent memory. As if to avenge his mentor Teixeira, Pereira stopped Prochazka across two bouts, marking the only blotches on Prochazka’s UFC record.

Pereira was Prochazka’s final boss, a test it seemed he would never pass. But after “Poatan” relinquished his title in February to move up to heavyweight, in turn setting up a White House clash with Ciryl Gane for interim gold, the door has opened for Prochazka to finally reclaim the throne, four years after it was ripped from his grasp.

Prochazka is tunnel-visioned on the task at hand, to the point where his attention has completely deviated from even the most pressing matters his personal life. His partner, Kamila Kordulikova, is expecting the birth of their daughter in the Czech Republic just days after UFC 327, but Prochazka says this is out of his mind.

“Right now there is no other thing than the mission next week,” Prochazka told the Dan Le Batard Show. “I believe that my girlfriend will handle these things and everything will be all right after the fight. I have my mission, and she has her mission about that.”

Focus instead remains on Kiwi fighter Ulberg, who Prochazka insists he “will find a way to end”. But Ulberg is no simple assignment.

Prochazka’s only two UFC losses have come at the hands of Alex Pereira (Getty Images)

Since the adversity of a KO loss on his UFC debut, Ulberg has gone from strength to strength and is on a nine-fight tear, including six via stoppage. The former semi-pro rugby league player, who was a model and reality television star in a previous life, has the power to stop anyone at 205lb. That includes Prochazka, whose chin has been cracked before, but Ulberg is under no illusions about the dangers that his opponent poses.

“There's no real preparing for a particular fighter like Jiri. He's very unpredictable,” Ulberg said. “We do have some looks that can give us what we need for this particular fight. It was a short notice to take this fight on, especially it being a world-title fight, five rounds.

“But we've been preparing for this fight for years now. We've seen it happen. We've seen that Jiri could be a possible opponent, whether it be for the title or not. He would be someone in my path. We've always been ready, we know we're ready. When we go in there, it's just about getting the job done and handling business.”

Carlos Ulberg faces the almighty task of overcoming Prochazka (Getty Images)

Ulberg is relatively new to the spotlight that comes with the main event and he is therefore portrayed as the up-and-comer in this bout, while Prochazka is the established headliner of the two. But this is a case where fight chronology doesn’t exactly align with what you’d expect; at 35, Ulberg is two years Prochazka’s senior. If things don’t go well for him at Miami’s Kaseya Center, Ulberg may not have the time to work his way back to this position.

That’s cause for concern, because very rarely do fighters step into the cage with Prochazka and leave with their head held high; in defeat to Prochazka, there are no victories in spirit. Losses are emphatic – just ask Khalil Rountree, Jamahal Jill and Dominick Reyes, all top contenders that were obliterated at the iron hands (or elbows) of the Czech.

Prochazka has not gone the distance in the cage for close to a decade; another knockout feels guaranteed here.

For an overtly-spiritual being like Prochazka, Saturday’s opportunity must feel like destiny. But if destiny is to become reality, he’ll need to stave off the title demons that have haunted him for four years; the same demons Ulberg will look to invoke in his bid to cause an upset.