Jiri Prochazka (appropriate) faces Glover Teixeira for the sunshine-heavyweight title at UFC 275 in SingaporeGrowing up, Jiri Prochazka lacked a motive.
Born within the Czech Republic, the UFC star misplaced his father at six years archaic, leaving him attempting authority figures.
He lived lifestyles by his possess principles, paying cramped attention to advice from his mother or academics, sooner than finally changing into inquisitive about soccer hooliganism.
Combating alongside fellow FC Zbrojovka Brno supporters, Prochazka was as soon as drawn to a approach of community he concept hooliganism supplied, but he quiet lacked that deeper that means – until a e-book proficient to him by his MMA coach modified every thing.
“It was as soon as The E book of Five Rings, and that was as soon as the samurai spirit and all the following tips around Japanese culture,” Prochazka told BBC Sport, sooner than his major event towards gentle-heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira at UFC 275 on Saturday.
“I took it on as my possess, and that was as soon as the first ingredient of why I started to advise esteem that – to be taught the philosophy and all these books around combating.
“Reason is a appropriate observe. It modified my lifestyles because esteem I talked about I had no principles in my lifestyles after my father died, in snort that’s why I was as soon as shopping for some precise knowledge and precise tips I’m able to attend in my lifestyles.”
After reading the e-book, Prochazka left soccer hooliganism within the support of, specializing in his accelerate as a samurai and official MMA fighter.
‘An actual motivation for lifestyles’Prochazka’s coiffure, which he calls ‘struggle hair’, pays tribute to Japanese samuraiProchazka practices bushido – the upright code followed by samurai.
Samurai are ragged Japanese warriors who helped govern the nation for a model of of years from the 12th century.
In finding out bushido, 29-one year-archaic Prochazka adopted the teaching’s warrior mentality, learning to gape inwards to gaze what is in his tips and soul.
Prochazka is reserved when explaining extra about bushido, preferring of us to analyze it themselves on the get if they’re bizarre.
He believes the sphere would score pleasure from extra of us practising its teachings.
“I esteem after I’m able to encourage anyone with this, because it was as soon as precious for me and I perceive will potentially be precious for other of us,” talked about Prochazka.
How Mortal Kombat helped shape the UFC”I know many folks are shopping for a motive and what to possess and a handbook – all this deep pondering. From these questions there is a precise motivation for lifestyles.”
Prochazka credits Bushido with remodeling him into the fighter he’s this day.
With 11 finishes in 12 consecutive victories, he has developed a reputation as one amongst essentially the most thrilling fighters within the game, and on Saturday faces Brazil’s Teixeira for the sunshine-heavyweight title in Singapore.
At 42 years archaic, Teixeira grew to change into the oldest first-time champion in UFC historical past when he defeated Jan Blachowicz in October.
“It [bushido] is about giving every thing in my performance at some point soon of the cage – that’s all, nothing extra,” talked about Prochazka.
“To gain no subject it takes for a hold, if it is vitally principal to die within the battle for a victory, you prefer to gain that.
“All the pieces is fabulous, every thing is ready. I had a face-off with Glover and I know I am ready, he’s ready – but I shall be better.”
‘Shevchenko is quite the explicit fighter’Valentina Shevchenko has held the UFC ladies’s flyweight title for almost four yearsIn the co-major event, ladies’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko defends her title towards Taila Santos.
Since defeating Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the title in 2018, the Kyrgyzstan-born fighter has developed into one amongst the UFC’s most dominant athletes.
The 34-one year-archaic has defended her belt six instances and is ranked first within the UFC’s ladies’s pound-for-pound rankings.
In Brazil’s Santos on the opposite hand, she faces an opponent on a four-battle successful trip within the UFC with correct one official defeat to her title.
Santos, 28, paid tribute to Shevchenkoexternal-link within the UFC’s pre-battle media conferences.
“She [Shevchenko] is about as shut as that you might possibly additionally score to a supreme fighter,” talked about Santos.
Meet the frail UFC star was triathlete”But no one is supreme and there is commonly room for improvement – now we possess located a few things we can work on and folks flaws now we possess chanced on.
“I have been an underdog for most of my fights within the UFC and that’s the reason a appropriate ingredient – it would no longer subject for me as soon as we score in there.”
Will Jedrzejczyk’s return be successful?On the undercard, Poland’s Jedrzejczyk returns to the octagon for the first time in extra than two years when she faces Zhang Weili in a rematch of their exhilarating 2020 bout.
China’s Weili, 32, won by damage up resolution on that occasion to claim the UFC strawweight title in a bout many regard because the explicit ladies’s battle in MMA historical past.
Jedrzejczyk has no longer fought since, but is returning within the hope of avenging defeat to cement her legacy as one amongst the supreme strawweights of all time.
In a two-one year stretch between 2015 and 2017, the 34-one year-archaic defended the title five instances – essentially the most within the division’s historical past.
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