“Worst Shoulder Injury in UFC History” – How Jiri Prochazka Recovered From Setback

Jiri Prochazka entered the UFC with a bang in 2020. The Czech fighter registered phenomenal victories against top UFC light heavyweights in his first two fights. His performances were good enough to convince the UFC matchmakers to give him a title shot. Ultimately, at UFC 251, Prochazka defeated Glover Teixeira to win the light heavyweight title.

However, all things did not go as planned. While Prochazka’s title win gave fans the hope of seeing him defend the belt many times, it did not happen. Unfortunately, ‘Denisa’ had to relinquish his title because of a terrible injury. So, how did he pick up the injury and how grave was it?

How did Jiri Prochazka injure his shoulder ?

‘The Czech Samurai’ made headlines in the MMA world after defeating the legendary Glover Teixeira at UFC 275 in a back-and-forth bloodbath. He won the UFC light heavyweight title in the process in only his third fight in Dana White’s promotion. Considering how close the Fight of the Year 2022 was, a rematch was the obvious choice. While in preparation for his second meeting with Teixeira, Prochazka picked up a serious shoulder injury. The news made waves at the time due to the supposed seriousness of the mishap. Even UFC CEO Dana White at the time termed it the worst shoulder injury the UFC doctors had seen. Jiri Prochazka later vacated the light heavyweight title and mentioned that he had to undergo surgery. But how did he receive it in the first place?

After vacating the title, Jiri Prochazka made an appearance in an interview with Ariel Helwani. He opened up on how the injury took place, which he did not necessarily blame anyone for. He said, “It was a sparring session, but everything was light. Nobody did something wrong. But I just did some mistake.”

Prochazka was sparring with one of his partners when he accidentally let him take his back. That was followed by a suplex attempt from his sparring partner that led him to land awkwardly on his shoulder. Consequentially, he popped his shoulder and then he headed to the hospital.

Prochazka’s fast recovery from injury

After the injury, Prochazka indicated that he would be out for at least six months, which could extend up to a year. His manager, Tim Simpson, even spoke to ESPN and mentioned that the Czech fighter decided to vacate the title. “It was actually Jiri’s decision”, said Simpson. He further elaborated on how ‘Denisa’ came to that decision.

He added that Prochazka knew he’d be out for some time, and as such, decided to let the division move on and be fair to other fighters. Simpson added, “He has a Samurai way of life, and once he knew how long he would be out, he said, ‘I must respect the other fighters and let them fight for the belt.’” But being the superhuman that he is, it took him less than a month to get back to training after surgery. Taking to his Instagram, he shared the stunning photos with his fans.

As for his mental health, especially given the major boulder that came his way, Prochazka opted to adopt the mindset of traditional Japanese Samurai warriors. The warrior’s way, or ‘Bushido’ is the code he lives by, and it became the major reason behind his psychological healing. Now his fans would be hoping that his ‘Bushido’ way of living will help him bounce back from his recent losses in the UFC and make a turnaround against Jamahal Hill at UFC 311. What do you think? Will Jiri Prochazka be able to win the fight? Let us know in the comments.

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