In advance of his title fight rematch with Alex Pereira coming Saturday, Jiri Prochazka claims that his rival ‘Poatan’ can’t fight without “spiritual stuff.” The duo first met for the vacant light heavyweight gold at the UFC 295 PPV. The Brazilian won that affair via TKO in a controversial manner. Now, Prochazka accused Pereira of using Shamanic magic to attain victory in the fight.
UFC 303: Pereira vs Procházka 2 remains exciting due to the pedigree of both fighters. Both the champ and the title challenger were unscathed from the blockbuster UFC 300 event. Hence. their short-notice title rematch now serves the revamped UFC 303 card. The ‘Samurai’ does not want any magical involvement in the upcoming fight and wants a pure sports performance in the rematch.
I think he believes a lot in help of spiritual things, yeah? And that’s something that I think he can’t fight without because I want to keep that in a clear line…Just the sport performance, pure performance, man versus man — Everybody knows he is working with some Shamanics, with some Shamans, yeah? I believe too, but I believe in the best performance.
Jiri Prochazka via The MMA Hour (for MMAFighting on SBN)
Alex Pereira’s reverence for his Pataxó Brazilian traditions is not the only instance of embracing “magic.” Josh Barnett was notable for taking his hobby of Magic: the Gathering to the next level. It was no Dungeon and Dragons, but still all the craze. Jared Cannonier credited natural-blooming pyrite stones to his round-two TKO of Jack Hermansson. Prochazka is more prone to settling this ‘mano a mano.’
He is an ardent follower of the disciplines of 61-duel “Kensei” and philosopher Miyamoto Musashi. Fresh off a second-round TKO to win the ‘POTN’ Bonus award of $300k in April, the Czech fighter returned to the woods again! He even recently trained with Shaolin Monks to prepare for UFC 303. However, Prochazka boasts more about his beliefs in human performance in the upcoming showdown.
UFC 303 pressure list: Jiri Prochazka’s Samurai vs. Stone Warrior challenge
Right now, fighters, analysts, and the MMA Clique are well into Fight Week! The card features other notable matchups as well. Everyone who steps into the cage has something at stake. Michael Page makes his second outing against the Irish striking haymaker Ian Machado Garry. So it’s quite a tough go.
Jiri Prochazka has a tough challenge ahead at UFC 303 (Source: IMAGO/boxemag.com)Having already accepted a move to the lightweight division, Brian Ortega meets equally proficient grappler Diego Lopes. To nose out would endanger his momentum at the 145-pound mark. However, nobody has it riskier than Prochazka. His bout is a title rematch, after all. The ‘Samurai’ out of Team Jetsaam Gym Brno has stated he has been mentally prepping for a title rematch for a long time.
Going 0-2 against the Brazilian in title fights would essentially remove him from the equation. Despite prodigal ex-champ Jamahal Hill expressing interest, the Czech had leapfrogged for a match against Pereira. So, the Czech fighter does not have many opportunities left or has a long way back if he is unsuccessful at UFC 303.
Jiri Prochazka smirking and taking sly shots at Pereira’s “magic” (probably even a larger euphemism for his manhood and fight mettle) might be all fun and games now. But come this Saturday, it’s a scary spot for the Samurai to be in.
