Jiri Prochazka takes his samurai credentials seriously.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion became visibly agitated at UFC 300 media day after hearing that upcoming opponent Aleksandar Rakic said that Prochazka is not a “real samurai.” Prochazka has frequently touted his spiritual connection to the famed Japanese warriors and he didn’t take kindly to Rakic’s criticism.
“Aleksandar, he’s talking too much. He doesn’t know me and he will know me in the cage. Who I am. Where I am able to go. How [far] I can go to take a win. He doesn’t know me personally. If you don’t know somebody personally, how can you speak about him? Whatever.
“I never said about myself, ‘I’m a samurai,’ because I’m respecting all the warriors from all the history and I’m sharing with the people, with all the world, every time, the best ideas, the best thoughts I’ve ever had, which helped me to improve myself on the way, to keep myself on the way. He will like that. He doesn’t know nothing about me, how I’m living. I can’t say what I sacrificed, because I accept the way. When you accept the way, you will live whenever, do whatever, that’s it. So he’s talking s***.”
Rakic looks to make an impact this Saturday when he fights for the first time since May 2022. On that date, he suffered a knee injury in a fight with Jan Blachowicz, which stifled Rakic’s momentum after a 6-1 start to his UFC career.
The long layoff may be one reason why Rakic is looking to make waves on the microphone, so Prochazka is unsure if his opponent is being sincere with his comments.
“Maybe he believes in what he’s saying, but he is [mistaken],” Rakic said. “That happens, that we are believing in something that’s not true. So I’m a little bit sorry about him and that’s only one thing, but I don’t know what I can say.”
In his 34-fight career, Prochazka hasn’t been known to talk trash; rather, he’s earned his fearsome reputation in combat, rattling off 13 consecutive wins from 2016-2022, including a thrilling triumph over Glover Teixeira to become the UFC light heavyweight champion.
An injury forced Prochazka to relinquish the title shortly after winning it at UFC 275 and he fell short against Alex Pereira when given the chance to win it again at UFC 295. His quest to become champion again is motivation enough and if there was any deeper animosity between him and Rakic, it would be settled outside of the octagon.
“That’s the only way to see the true warriors,” Prochazka said. “If there is something—If I have some real problem with Aleksandar, I would go to his home and I will knock to his door. That will be my attitude if there will be some problem.
“If this is just he’s talking some bulls*** and everybody expects I will be mad like, ‘That’s not true’ and ‘I am samurai’ and ‘You will die for what you said,’ that’s just (laughs) bulls***, I will not show nothing. I’m going for a win, that’s all that I can say.”
