Is Jiri Prochazka a Karate Black Belt? UFC Star’s Fighting Style

A sizable number of fans have come to love former UFC light heavyweight champ, Jiri Prochazka, as a modern-day samurai. In ancient times, becoming a samurai required a set of moral principles that included honor, discipline, and loyalty. Most fans would agree that the Czech Republic native has exhibited all of these characteristics throughout his professional MMA career. A look at his record might compel fans to think that he has been training in martial arts for a prolonged period.

Well, they aren’t pretty wrong in thinking so. Prochazka’s unique training methods have garnered a lot of attention in the UFC community. But it all started back when he was in high school. ‘BJP’ took up Muay Thai as the primary genre of his martial arts. Well, reports also say that he is also trained in a few other martial arts, like karate and taekwondo. However, most fans may agree that his core training in Muay Thai, combined with unique improvisations, developed his incredible fighting style.

What is Jiri Prochazka’s fighting style?

There are plenty of dangerous strikers who have a base in Muay Thai. A martial arts form that is also called ‘the art of eight limbs’, Muay Thai develops incredible prowess in striking among its practitioners, such that it seems like the fighter is using eight limbs for his striking instead of four. A lot of fans may agree that Jiri Prochazka is no different, although he has a black belt in Kyokushin full-contact karate. His striking, heavy fighting style also displays characteristics of his Muay Thai and karate training pretty clearly.

On top of all this, he has superb head movement, and agile footwork, and also packs a formidable range of 80″ (203 cm). His footwork and striking skills provide him with the ability to land strikes on his rival from unimaginable positions. But if we talk about the grappling part of his game, the Czech native has himself admitted that he isn’t a pretty good grappler.

UFC audiences might have witnessed him going to the ground a few times. But most of them were for ground and pound instead of trying to submit their opponents with his grappling maneuvers. Also, Jiri Prochazka has a unique training method as well. Let’s take a look at that front.

Jiri Prochazka’s training regime

Jiri Prochazka is one of those fighters who is known for pushing the boundaries when it comes to preparing for a UFC. He’s shared numerous photos and videos of his strange workout methods, and one of those strange methods included striking a tree, and a big one at that, at least 500 times a day, which he claims is important for ‘stability’.

“This kind of training is very good for your body, for the stability. You can stabilize your punch when you’re punching the tree,” Jiri Prochazka stated in the past. Furthermore, ‘The Czech Samurai’ even took extreme measures before his UFC 295 fight when he’d lock himself up in a dark room for days. This is something that NFL star Aaron Rodgers has done as well.

“It’s very helpful. There is just you and you. No other people. That was my first time when I did that without food, so just with water,” Prochazka said this prior to his first fight against Alex Pereira. “It’s much more strong when you’re without food. All the processes in your body are much stronger. Your mind’s working a lot, and you have to die here first.”

It’s safe to say that Jiri Prochazka has a different way of living and training as a fighter. Could that prove to be advantageous when he steps inside the Octagon against Jamahal Hill at UFC 311? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.