“You Have to Die Here First” – Jiří Procházka, Once in Order to Confront His Inner Demons, Ended Up Doing the Absolute Unthinkable

MMA fighters, have to go through a lot before fights. Be it months of intensive training or cutting weight, the real fight is fought outside the Octagon in most cases. But UFC fighters are really tough individuals and have no problem putting their bodies through immense pain to become champs.

But one UFC fighter had outdone most others. Former UFC light heavyweight champ Jiri Prochazka once did the unthinkable right before a fight that he believed would help him evolve as a fighter. A lot of UFC fighters tend to put their bodies through a lot before their fight to ensure that they are ready to take the punishment. Prochazka, however, decided to take things a step ahead.

The lead-up to UFC 282 – Jiri Prochazka confronts his demons in the dark!

UFC 282 was all set to be the ground for war. Jiri Prochazka was due to fight the feared Glover Teixeira. As usual, both fighters started their preparation and training processes. However, Prochazka decided to take it to the next level, as he went three days in a dark room with no food—just to confront his demons. The idea was to train his mind.

“That’s all in darkness for three days, and there you can work with your demons and train what you want. I don’t want to talk about a lot, because that’s like my personal things.” Prochazka had said during an interview with The MMA Hour. A lot of UFC fighters practice spending time in the dark – alone to train their mind. However, this was unprecedented. 

The former lightweight champ also explained why the process is so important to him. “That’s the biggest fun, because you have to go to the point where time is ending, and I can’t speak about that, because it’s so, not intense, for me, these things are so personal … and holy.” “Your mind’s working a lot, and you have to die here first.” the former champ added. 

However, all of his efforts didn’t end up paying off since the UFC 282 bout was scrapped and replaced with another. So what happened there? Why did Prochazka not get the opportunity to implement what he had practiced?

Why was UFC 282 scrapped? What happened to the primary fight card?

After months of practice and spending three days in a dark room alone with no food, Prochazka had to pull out of the UFC 282 fight. Why? Well, it seems that the former UFC light heavyweight fighter sustained injuries he couldn’t recover from in time, despite him ‘confronting his demons’. However, he was not the only one.

Even Glover Teixeira pulled out of the fight but he had his own set of reasons. Apparently, it had something to do with his morals. The title defense fight fell apart, and Prochazka had to vacate the division title. But the fight card was made, and the event had to happen. So another fight was drafted for the then-vacant light heavyweight title.

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This fight for the vacant title was to be between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev. The two fought bravely, but unfortunately, the fight was too close. It ended in a draw, and neither of the fighters took home the title that night. Now, Jiri Prochazka finds himself in a fight against yet another tough opponent, Alex Pereira. The two fighters will battle it out at the UFC 295 main event.

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