Jiří Procházka | |||||||||||
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Born | Znojmo, Czechoslovakia[1] (now Czech Republic) | October 14, 1992||||||||||
Other names | Denisa | ||||||||||
Residence | Brno, Czech Republic | ||||||||||
Nationality | Czech | ||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||||||||||
Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) | ||||||||||
Division | Light Heavyweight (2012–2015, 2017–present) Heavyweight (2015–2016) | ||||||||||
Reach | 80[2] in (203 cm) | ||||||||||
Style | Muay Thai | ||||||||||
Fighting out of | Brno, Czech Republic | ||||||||||
Team | Jetsaam Gym Brno[3] | ||||||||||
Trainer | Martin Karaivanov (Jetsaam Gym Brno) (head coach & kickboxing coach)[4]Jaroslav Hovězák (Jetsaam Gym Brno) (MMA coach)[4] Zdeněk Dohnal (Girja Brno) (strength coach)[5] | ||||||||||
Years active | 2012–present (MMA) | ||||||||||
Mixed martial arts record | |||||||||||
Total | 33 | ||||||||||
Wins | 29 | ||||||||||
By knockout | 25 | ||||||||||
By submission | 3 | ||||||||||
By decision | 1 | ||||||||||
Losses | 3 | ||||||||||
By knockout | 2 | ||||||||||
By submission | 1 | ||||||||||
Draws | 1 | ||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||
Notable school(s) | Masaryk University[6] | ||||||||||
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |||||||||||
Medal record
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Jiří Procházka (Czech: [ˈjɪr̝iː ˈproxaːska] (listen); [ˈjɪrka] (
listen); born October 14, 1992) is a Czech professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He was the inaugural Rizin FF Light Heavyweight Champion and the inaugural Czech GCF Light Heavyweight Champion. As of June 20, 2022, he is #10 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.[8]
Procházka was born on October 14, 1992 in the south Moravian part of Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic).[1] Procházka's father died when he was 6 years old.[9]
In his youth, Procházka played amateur football for TJ Družstevník Hostěradice. He was also an active freestyle BMX rider and a floorball player.[10]
As a teen, Procházka partook in street fights almost weekly, getting into more than 100 of them. This eventually led him to join the hooligan club tied to Prochazka's local soccer team, FC Zbrojovak Brno, where he would take part in organized group street fights with clubs of other teams, even participating in 30-on-30 brawls.[11]
Since 2017, Procházka has lived in a cottage about 30 minutes outside of his hometown of Brno, near a reservoir. The cottage has electricity and other amenities, however it has no gas and he gets his water out of a well.[11]
Procházka first encountered mixed martial arts before beginning high school, after a friend showed him videos of kickboxer Ramon Dekkers and mixed martial artists Mirko Filipovic and Fedor Emelianenko.[12] After watching the film Never Back Down, he began to train in martial arts, in particular Thai boxing.[12]
Procházka made his professional MMA debut in April 2012 for the Gladiator Fighting Championship, the biggest promotion in his native Czech Republic at the time.[13]
In his tenth professional bout, he won the inaugural GCF Light Heavyweight Championship in the back-and-forth fight against Czech MMA pioneer Martin Šolc via flying knee knockout on December 7, 2013 at GCF 26 FN. Video of the bout went viral in the Czech Republic and Procházka was also awarded a post-fight bonus.[13] The fight was later awarded 'Czech Fight of the Year' by major media outlets.[14]
Procházka defended his title against Tomáš Penz on June 6, 2014 at GCF 28: Cage Fight 4. He won the fight via technical knockout due to a flying knee in 41 seconds.[15]
Procházka signed a deal with the Rizin Fighting Federation shortly before his win against Evgeni Kondratov. After amassing a record of 14–2–1 during his first three years in the sport, Procházka as the first Czech entered the Rizin Fighting Federation in 2015.[16][17]
Procházka made his promotional debut against Satoshi Ishii on December 29, 2015 in the World Grand Prix 2015 -100 kg tournament at the Rizin FF's first event Saraba no Utake. He won the quarter-final fight via knockout in the first round.[18][16][excessive citations]
Procházka's next fight in the Rizin FF's -100 kg tournament was at Iza no Mai on December 31, 2015. He won the semi-final fight against Vadim Nemkov via technical knockout, and then lost in the final fight against Muhammed Lawal via knockout in the first round.[19] Procházka weighed in at 95.9 kgs (211.5 pounds) for the tournament.[20]
Procházka faced Kazuyuki Fujita on April 17, 2016 at Rizin 1 at a catchweight of 110 kgs (242.5 pounds). Procházka weighed in at 98.6 kgs (217.3 pounds) for the bout.[21] He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.[22]
Procházka faced Mark Tanios on September 25, 2016 at Rizin 2 - Rizin Fighting World Grand Prix 2016: Opening Round. He won the fight via unanimous decision.[23] Procházka suffered a knee injury during the fight and was subsequently pulled from the tournament.[24]
Procházka faced Willian Roberto Alves on September 29, 2017, at Fusion FN 16 - Cage Fight, the homecoming event organized by his team. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.[25]
Procházka faced Karl Albrektsson on December 29, 2017 at Rizin Fighting World Grand Prix 2017 - Bantamweight Tournament: 2nd Round. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.[26]
Procházka faced Bruno Henrique Cappelozza on July 28, 2018, at Rizin 11. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.[27]
Procházka faced Jake Heun on September 30, 2018 at Rizin 13. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.[28]
Procházka was scheduled to face Emanuel Newton on December 31, 2018 at Rizin 14.[29] However, Newton was pulled out of the fight, citing a rib injury. Procházka remained on the card and was rescheduled to face Brandon Halsey.[30] He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.[31]
Procházka faced Muhammed Lawal in rematch on April 21, 2019 at Rizin 15 for the inaugural Rizin FF Light Heavyweight Championship. He won the fight via technical knockout in the third round.[32]
Procházka faced Fábio Maldonado on October 12, 2019 at Rizin 19: Lightweight Grand Prix 1st Round at a catchweight of 100 kgs (220.4 pounds). Procházka weighed in at 97.90 kgs (215.8 pounds) for the bout.[33] He won the fight via knockout in the first round.[34]
Procházka defended his title against C. B. Dollaway on December 31, 2019, at Rizin 20. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. This was the last fight on the Procházka's contract with Rizin. After the fight, he signed a new deal with the UFC and vacated his title.[35]
Procházka signed a contract with the UFC in January 2020.[36] He made his promotional debut against former UFC Light Heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir on July 11, 2020 at UFC 251. He won via knockout in the second round and was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus award.[37]
Procházka was expected to face two–time UFC Light Heavyweight Championship title challenger Dominick Reyes on February 27, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 186. However, in late January, Reyes was pulled from the fight, due to injury, and the bout was rescheduled for May 1, 2021 at UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Procházka.[38] In a back and forth fight, Procházka won the fight via knockout in the second round.[39] With this win, he was awarded the Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night bonus awards.[40]
Procházka was scheduled to face Glover Teixeira for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship on May 7, 2022 at UFC 274.[41] However, the bout was postponed to June 11, 2022 at UFC 275 for undisclosed reasons.[42] In a back and forth fight, Procházka won the bout and title via rear-naked choke submission in the fifth round, becoming the first Czech fighter to win a UFC championship.[43] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award[44] and the Crypto.com "Fan Bonus of the Night" award paid in bitcoin of US$20,000 for second place.[45]
Procházka is well-known as a devoted follower of the Bushido principles, the samurai moral values and the Miyamoto Musashi's teachings and philosophy, especially the Musashi's The Book of Five Rings, which Procházka considered as a life-changing book for him.[46]
He is a supporter of FC Zbrojovka Brno and was involved in organized football hooliganism, including pre-arranged fights, until he started his professional combat sports career.[47]
Besides his native Czech, Procházka is conversational in English (as of his UFC debut).[48] While competing in UFC and Rizin FF, Procházka attended Masaryk University for his bachelor’s degree, majoring in security forces physical fitness policy.[49] He is also a graduate of the his local Protective Service Secondary Academy (Czech: SOŠ OOM), now the Brno's School of Law & Security (Czech: BPA).[50]
Procházka is known for his catchphrase, "BJP" (B'e-y'e-p'e; Czech: [bɛːjɛːpɛː] (listen)). It is the Czech initialism for "Bomby jak piča(!)" (English: Bomb The Shit Out of 'Em[!] or Bomb-'em-up[!]), it is Procházka's battle cry and also the name of his merchandise brand.[51]
His unusual nickname, the Czech girl's given name Denisa, equivalent to English Denise, and Deniska (English: Denni), the diminutive of it, originated during a training camp, where Procházka had mistakenly responded to his trainer's call for another fighter, the girl of that name.[52]
Professional record breakdown | ||
33 matches | 29 wins | 3 losses |
By knockout | 25 | 2 |
By submission | 3 | 1 |
By decision | 1 | 0 |
Draws | 1 |
Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 29–3–1 | Glover Teixeira | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 275 | 12 June 2022 | 5 | 4:32 | Kallang, Singapore | Won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
Win | 28–3–1 | Dominick Reyes | KO (spinning back elbow) | UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Procházka | 1 May 2021 | 2 | 4:29 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. Fight of the Night. |
Win | 27–3–1 | Volkan Oezdemir | KO (punch) | UFC 251 | 12 July 2020 | 2 | 0:49 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Performance of the Night. |
Win | 26–3–1 | C. B. Dollaway | KO (punches) | Rizin 20 | 31 December 2019 | 1 | 1:55 | Saitama, Japan | Defended the Rizin Light Heavyweight Championship. |
Win | 25–3–1 | Fábio Maldonado | KO (punches) | Rizin 19: Lightweight Grand Prix 1st Round | 12 October 2019 | 1 | 1:49 | Osaka, Japan | Catchweight (100 kg) bout. |
Win | 24–3–1 | Muhammed Lawal | TKO (punches) | Rizin 15 | 21 April 2019 | 3 | 3:02 | Yokohama, Japan | Won the inaugural Rizin Light Heavyweight Championship. |
Win | 23–3–1 | Brandon Halsey | TKO (submission to punches) | Rizin 14 | 31 December 2018 | 1 | 6:30 | Saitama, Japan | |
Win | 22–3–1 | Jake Heun | TKO (punches) | Rizin 13 | 30 September 2018 | 1 | 4:29 | Saitama, Japan | |
Win | 21–3–1 | Bruno Henrique Cappelozza | KO (punches) | Rizin 11 | 28 July 2018 | 1 | 1:23 | Saitama, Japan | |
Win | 20–3–1 | Karl Albrektsson | TKO (punches) | Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: 2nd Round | 29 December 2017 | 1 | 9:57 | Saitama, Japan | |
Win | 19–3–1 | Wilian Roberto Alves | TKO (punches) | Fusion FN 16: Cage Fight | 29 September 2017 | 1 | 3:41 | Brno, Czech Republic | Return to Light Heavyweight. |
Win | 18–3–1 | Mark Tanios | Decision (unanimous) | Rizin World Grand Prix 2016: 1st Round | 25 September 2016 | 2 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | Rizin Openweight Grand-Prix 1st Round. |
Win | 17–3–1 | Kazuyuki Fujita | KO (punch) | Rizin 1 | 17 April 2016 | 1 | 3:18 | Nagoya, Japan | Catchweight (110 kg) bout. |
Loss | 16–3–1 | Muhammed Lawal | KO (punch) | Rizin World Grand Prix 2015: Part 2 - Iza | 31 December 2015 | 1 | 5:09 | Saitama, Japan | For the 2015 Rizin World Grand Prix. |
Win | 16–2–1 | Vadim Nemkov | TKO (retirement) | 1 | 10:00 | 2015 Rizin World Grand Prix Semifinal. | |||
Win | 15–2–1 | Satoshi Ishii | KO (head kick and knees) | Rizin World Grand Prix 2015: Part 1 - Saraba | 29 December 2015 | 1 | 1:36 | Saitama, Japan | Heavyweight debut. 2015 Rizin World Grand Prix Quarterfinal. |
Win | 14–2–1 | Evgeni Kondratov | KO (punch) | ProFC 59: Battle of Kursk 3 | 21 November 2015 | 1 | 4:23 | Kursk, Russia | |
Win | 13–2–1 | Michał Fijałka | TKO (corner stoppage) | GCF 31: Cage Fight 6 | 22 May 2015 | 1 | 5:00 | Brno, Czech Republic | |
Win | 12–2–1 | Rokas Stambrauskas | TKO (corner stoppage) | GCF Challenge: Back in the Fight 4 | 27 March 2015 | 1 | 5:00 | Příbram, Czech Republic | |
Draw | 11–2–1 | Mikhail Mokhnatkin | Draw (majority) | Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 18 | 20 December 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Moscow, Russia | |
Win | 11–2 | Darko Stošić | TKO (punches) | GCF Challenge: Cage Fight 5 | 14 November 2014 | 1 | 1:09 | Brno, Czech Republic | |
Win | 10–2 | Tomáš Penz | TKO (flying knee and punches) | GCF 28: Cage Fight 4 | 6 June 2014 | 1 | 0:41 | Brno, Czech Republic | Defended the GCF Light Heavyweight Championship. |
Win | 9–2 | Viktor Bogutzki | Submission (rear-naked choke) | GCF 27: Road to the Cage | 21 March 2014 | 1 | 2:17 | Prague, Czech Republic | |
Win | 8–2 | Martin Šolc | KO (flying knee) | GCF 26: Fight Night | 7 December 2013 | 3 | 4:00 | Prague, Czech Republic | Won the inaugural GCF Light Heavyweight Championship. |
Win | 7–2 | Oliver Dohring | TKO (punches) | Rock the Cage 4 | 12 October 2013 | 1 | N/A | Greifswald, Germany | |
Loss | 6–2 | Abdul-Kerim Edilov | Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) | Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 12 | 20 June 2013 | 1 | 1:56 | Moscow, Russia | |
Win | 6–1 | Radovan Estocin | KO (flying knee and punches) | GCF 23: MMA Cage Fight 2 | 10 May 2013 | 1 | 0:26 | Brno, Czech Republic | |
Win | 5–1 | Josef Žák | TKO (doctor stoppage) | GCF 19: Back in the Fight 2 | 15 February 2013 | 1 | N/A | Příbram, Czech Republic | |
Loss | 4–1 | Bojan Veličković | TKO (punches) | SFC 1: Balkan Fighter Night | 9 December 2012 | 1 | N/A | Belgrade, Serbia | |
Win | 4–0 | Strahinja Denić | Submission (triangle choke) | Ring Fight Brno | 15 November 2012 | 1 | 2:10 | Brno, Czech Republic | |
Win | 3–0 | Martin Vaniš | TKO (punches) | GCF 17: Big Cage Ostrava 2 | 20 October 2012 | 1 | 2:48 | Ostrava, Czech Republic | |
Win | 2–0 | Vladimír Eis | KO (knee) | GCF 15: Justfight Challenger | 24 August 2012 | 1 | 1:02 | Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic | |
Win | 1–0 | Stanislav Futera | KO (punch) | GCF 10: Battle in the Cage | 7 April 2012 | 1 | 0:53 | Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic | Light Heavyweight debut. |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | Jiří Procházka: The Conscious Fighter[58] | Himself | TV Documentary |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Blbej den (English: Bad Day)[59] | Karateka / Himself | Anthology streaming TV miniseries Lead role Episode: "Karate je svinstvo (English: Karate Is a Hell of a Thing)"[60] Season 1 Episode 9 |
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