Jiri Prochazka will return to the octagon next weekend after more than a year out. The Czech fighter will face Alex Pereira for the vacant UFC light-heavyweight title. And after Jon Jones pulled out of the event, Prochazka vs Pereira will be the main event for UFC 295. So ahead of the fight, here’s what you need to know about Jiri Prochazka.

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Prochazka hails from Czechia, is 31 years old, and a former UFC light-heavyweight champion. The unconventional fighter has a 29-3-1 record. Out of these 29 wins, 25 have been knockouts and three have been submissions. Therefore, the stats show that Prochazka is an exciting fighter.

Everything You Need to Know About Jiri Prochazka Before UFC 295

What you need to know about Jiri Prochazka ahead of UFC 295

Prochazka started his sports journey as an amateur footballer for TJ Družstevník Hostěradice in Czechia. This is no surprise, considering football is the biggest sport in the country. However, along with football, Prochazka enjoyed freestyle BMX riding and was also a floorball player.

The 29-3-1 fighter got into fighting through football hooliganism. Prochazka is an ardent fan of FC Zbrojovka Brno, a football team in Czechia. And after getting into street fights, Prochazka joined the hooligan group of his team.

This led Prochazka into organized group clashes with fan groups of other clubs. The hooligan culture is very popular in those parts of the world and so it’s not a surprise to find out Prochazka also started off there. However, he pursued MMA after a friend introduced him to videos of Ramon Dekkers, Mirko Filipovic, and Fedor Emelianenko.

Prochazka has done well in every promotion he competed in. The former UFC champion was the inaugural light-heavyweight champion in Gladiators Fight Night in 2013. In 2019, Prochazka became the inaugural light-heavyweight champion in the Rizin Fighting Championship. While things did not go his way initially, the Czech fighter clawed his way back to the top.

Prochazka made his UFC debut in 2020 against Volkan Oezdemir. He won via a second-round knockout and set up a clash against top contender, Dominic Reyes. The fight against Reyes was where Prochazka made a name for himself.

Prochazka, with his unique hairstyle and personality, landed a vicious spinning elbow knockout on one of the division’s best fighters in Reyes. Consequently, this earned him a title shot against Glover Teixeira at UFC 282. And after five close rounds, Prochazka won via a rear-naked choke to become the UFC champion.

Outside MMA, Prochazka is a firm believer in the Bushido principles, the samurai moral values, and Miyamoto Musashi’s teachings. This also explains his extreme training practices and his hairdos. His moniker, BJP, is short for the Czech saying, “Bomby jak piča” which roughly translates to b*mb the sh*t out of them. It’s a reference to his fighting style.

So there you have it. These are some things you should know about former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka.