Who is Jiri Procházka: The legendary UFC career of "The Czech Samurai" ahead of UFC 327

In a quick turnaround to shape up the UFC’s light heavyweight division, Czech Samurai Jiří Procházka will take on New Zealand’s Carlos 'Black Jag' Ulberg for the vacant light heavyweight title in Miami, Florida on Saturday night. 

This bout came about when the former light heavyweight champion and UFC megastar Alex 'Poatan' Pereira vacated the title in order to move up to the heavyweight division to face the number one contender, Ciryl Gane, for a third title in June.

Background and UFC Debut

Fighting out of Brno, Czech Republic, former undisputed light heavyweight titleholder Jiří Procházka first sent shockwaves through the UFC’s light heavyweight division back in 2021 when he made his promotional debut against Swiss contender Volkan Oezdemir, brutally knocking him out in the second round. 

He was also the inaugural Rizin Fighting Federation Light Heavyweight Champion, as well as the inaugural Gladiator Fighting Championship Light Heavyweight Champion in Japan, where he earned his nickname, 'The Czech Samurai'. 

Procházka first encountered combat sports in high school after watching heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko, which resulted in him taking up Muay Thai and various other martial arts. 

Jiří is known for his powerful, awkward, unorthodox fighting style and his “kill or be killed” approach, which opponents often struggle to read. He is also recognized for his incredible mentality in training, along with his strange but fascinating personality outside the Octagon. 

Procházka has never seen the final bell in his UFC career and is renowned for his outstanding finishing ability. 

Winning gold and rise to the title

Procházka had a quick run to the title, racking up a two-fight knockout streak and defeating former title contender Dominick Reyes in the second round, which earned him a shot at gold. 

In June 2022, an all-time classic took place when Jiří Procházka took on former light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira for the title. Teixeira had been on a six-fight win streak before capturing the championship. 

Procházka emerged victorious, defeating Glover via a last-minute submission in round five in a back-and-forth fireworks fight that will go down as one of the greatest title bouts in UFC history. 

(Getty Images)

Rivalry with Alex Pereira

Upon winning the title, Jiří suffered a serious injury and, in December 2022, honorably decided to vacate the belt. Former champion Jamahal Hill went on to win the vacant title, defeating Procházka’s former opponent Glover Teixeira via a dominant unanimous decision.

After some time away, Procházka was awarded another shot at gold in November 2023 when Hill also vacated the title due to injury. This led to Procházka being scheduled to fight former two-division champion and all-time great Alex Pereira, who was making his light heavyweight debut.

Procházka ultimately came up short due to a controversial stoppage after a back-and-forth fight in the second round, leaving fans with questions and eager for a future rematch.

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After knocking out rising Serbian contender Aleksandar Rakić in the second round, Procházka would yet again receive his third shot at the title in June 2024, headlining UFC 303. By this point, Pereira had already defended his title, knocking out Hill in the first round, and was seen as an unstoppable force in the light heavyweight division. However, fans still had questions due to the controversial ending of the first Procházka fight.

Unfortunately for Procházka, 'Poatan' put a stop to any doubts surrounding their first bout, walking through Jiří and dropping him badly in the opening round before ending their rivalry with a brutal head-kick knockout at the start of the second round.

To date, rival Alex Pereira remains the only man to defeat Procházka since his UFC debut. Since their first fight, Pereira has compiled a legendary UFC record of 8–2, with five of his eight victories coming against former world champions.

Second uprsise and rebound

In a slight step down in competition, it was announced that Procházka would take on another former light heavyweight champion, Jamahal 'Sweet Dreams' Hill, in November 2023 on the undercard of UFC 311. Both men had been defeated by the reigning champion, shared multiple mutual opponents, and were looking to rebound in a must-win fight, creating a bitter rivalry between the pair.

Procházka once again proved himself to be the next best in the division behind the champion, knocking out Hill in the third and final round.

He has since put together a two-fight win streak, defeating contender Khalil Rountree Jr. in similar fashion with a third-round finish in a bout he was losing. Rountree Jr. is another former opponent of the champion, with both men having defeated Hill in their most recent fights.

Upcoming bout and fourth shot at the title

After dominating the light heavyweight division and defeating Magomed Ankalaev in their rematch to become a two-time light heavyweight champion, it was announced that Alex Pereira would be vacating his light heavyweight title for the chance to win a third belt against Ciryl Gane at the UFC White House event in June.

Just like that, in February 2026, it was announced that Jiří Procházka would take on the number three-ranked Carlos Ulberg for the vacant light heavyweight title—his fourth shot at UFC gold—in the main event of UFC 327 on April 11, 2026.

New Zealand’s Carlos Ulberg is currently riding a strong nine-fight win streak since losing his UFC debut back in March 2021. The rising contender has defeated impressive names such as Volkan Oezdemir and Jan Błachowicz, and more recently knocked out Dominick Reyes in the first round.

A technical, patient kickboxer, Ulberg’s style is expected to clash with Procházka’s awkward, aggressive approach, making for a fascinating matchup.

This fight completely reshapes the state of the light heavyweight division. With Pereira gone, the title is anyone’s for the taking.

What does this fight mean for Procházka?

With this bout being Jiří’s fourth shot at the title, and with his last two attempts ending in defeat, this fight is make-or-break for Procházka if he ever wants to reclaim UFC gold. He stated in an interview with Michael Bisping that he is disappointed with who his opponent is, despite understanding Pereira’s desire to chase greatness. Procházka has made it clear he wants a trilogy with “Poatan,” looking to avenge those two losses, stating:

“I wish him all the best, but I believe I will meet him in the cage once again.”

For Procházka, there is also the added pressure of expecting the birth of his child to potentially fall on the same date as the fight. While not ideal, he admitted it would be meaningful to win the title in honor of his child’s birth:

“For the first time in my life, I realised, man there is a girlfriend in Czech Republic and she has a baby and it's not just about me, man.

“It’s about proving yourself to be brave and I can do whatever I want in this world.”

“I just start to think, man, you have to be there for them, you have to be a man.”

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