PROCHAZKA ON PEREIRA LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE FIGHT
Jiri Prochazka (29-3-1, fighting out of Brno, Czech Republic) returns to the Octagon with intentions of reclaiming the title and finishing Pereira in the process
Former UFC light heavyweight champion and No. 1 ranked contender
No. 14 UFC pound-for-pound fighter
25 wins by knockout, 23 first-round finishes
First ever Czech UFC Champion
Jiri Prochazka (29-3-1, fighting out of Brno, Czech Republic) returns to the Octagon with intentions of reclaiming the title and finishing Pereira in the process
Former UFC light heavyweight champion and No. 1 ranked contender
No. 14 UFC pound-for-pound fighter
25 wins by knockout, 23 first-round finishes
First ever Czech UFC Champion
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Hello everyone.
00:05 Hello Yuri.
00:07 First of all welcome back and to fighting I mean it's been a while out there so how excited are you not just for this fight but to be fighting at all?
00:15 It's an honor to be here especially in New York Madison Square Garden like a main event.
00:25 It's an honor for me especially after a long tough year and I believe this fight will be great and I believe in my winner.
00:43 You're a man who's very famous for taking on the energy of occasions. What exactly is the energy for this week Madison Square Garden main event against a guy like Alex for the world title after so long away.
00:54 What is the energy for you this week and how exactly are you feeling within yourself before this fight?
01:05 For me this week laser focus. For me it's about the laser focus for the performance in the night in the event night.
01:24 It's not just about me but it's just about my opponent too because which performance how good the performance of my opponent will be that good will be mine because I'm every time adjust.
01:48 I am better every time than my opponents trying to be in every moment.
01:59 So I like to have a good opponents because opponents performance push my performance.
02:08 There's been some talk from the fans that this is the samurai versus the indigenous tribesman. Do you see it that way and do you see this as a warrior versus warrior kind of fight?
02:18 I see it like warrior against the warrior. Yeah like you said. I don't want to speak about my samurai character or something like that.
02:35 But it's true. It's truth because I was inspired many years by these Codex Bushido and this type of focus for a fight for everything what you're doing in your life to do it with all your focus.
02:56 Give all your heart to your performance. So that's why we are the warriors. Because we go there and there is nothing left.
03:12 Alex is one of the greatest strikers of all time you know Hall of Famer in kickboxing. But do you believe he's ever seen a man who strikes in the way that you do?
03:26 Yeah because every time I'm trying to find a way where my opponent will not expect that. That's the key to win. Because it's about to win in the way that your opponent don't expect that.
03:50 So you have to see. I don't see somebody like... I'm not watching his techniques. I'm watching his weak points. And there I will attack with the full power.
04:08 That's why it's my style a little bit risky. But it's a part of myself. I need to go there with everything. But I little upgrade my style because Alex is a top level stand up guy. So I'm prepared for that.
04:31 The last time we saw you it was one of the greatest fights of all time. Do you think this Saturday it will be a similar fight where you will show your warrior spirit? Or do you plan on learning from that performance against Glover and coming in better and showing that you are the best in the world and make it not a war but a great performance instead?
04:48 Both of that. Because there is no difference between learning something from the past and still showing the best. I learned from that fight with Glover a lot. Really.
05:13 It gave me a lot. And now I want to prove that.
05:20 Last year at this card you were supposed to fight Glover later on before your injury. And then obviously Jamal won and then there were talks that you would fight Jamal. And now you're fighting Alex.
05:34 It seems fans are more excited for your fight against Alex than your possible fights against Jamal or the rematch against Glover. I'm curious if you feel that and what do you make of your two styles that fans are "this is the fight that they have circled"?
05:49 I didn't thought about Jamal or Pereira who's better. But if I can say it now I think Pereira's style in stand-up is much sharper than Jamal.
06:18 Jamal Hill style. That's my opinion.
06:28 Was it hard to sit out on the sidelines having to relinquish the title? Did it make you more determined to get the title back? What was it like seeing how the division changed?
06:46 I just respect that everything has to go on.
06:55 I realize that I'm not afraid that when I put the belt out to other guys that I will not win that again after my recovery.
07:18 So that's my belief that I will take the belt again and that's it.
07:29 And how was the recovery? Did you learn anything about yourself in your time away?
07:34 Sure. Life is about learning. To push your limits, attack them, be better and that's all about.
07:50 So all that year was for me the big challenge. Like every day. I really enjoyed that. Sometimes it was really tough but that's life.
08:07 I saw that you went to Iceland and trained with Gunnar Nelson. What was that experience like?
08:12 Gunnar Nelson is a true master in his field. I just wanted to know his mindset, how he's working, how he's using the body in the wrestling situation.
08:35 He's a master of the ground game and he has a nice movement in the stand up. So that's what we work on.
08:47 But mainly I was in Iceland to see the nature, to take power from nature and with my sponsor LifeCycle.
09:03 Do you still view the belt as yours? How much would it mean to you to get it back and continue where you left off?
09:12 The belt from last year I have on my room and I still see myself as a champion. But I need to remind all people that I really am.
09:35 Because I need to keep it in the present.
09:39 You and Alex both won titles in the same year. Did you ever view him as someone that could be a potential opponent?
09:48 Like when?
09:50 Did you ever see him and think that perhaps you could fight him somewhere down the line?
09:58 When he captured his title.
10:02 When he captured his title? Like where? Like title of middleweight?
10:08 Yeah.
10:10 I didn't think about Alex as an opponent before he started to speak about moving up the weight class.
10:36 And after that I saw him like, yes, this guy is really good. He can be my opponent.
10:47 Especially when he saw me last July in Vegas after our fight with Glover. I was there for that week, that fight week.
11:13 And I saw him and he still watched me like some enemy.
11:21 And after that I said to myself, yeah, this was extraordinary and he can be, maybe in the future, my opponent.
11:35 Is the plan here with a win to wait until Hill is healthy to fight or is that too long? Do you want to fight again before that?
11:44 Doesn't matter for me right now. I'm not thinking about other opponents right now.
11:51 I'm thinking about Alex Pereira here and after I believe in my win, I will face whoever will be there the best.
12:08 For me it doesn't matter who it will be. I just want to see the challenge before me.
12:14 Somebody who I see like he's the dangerous.
12:19 For me, obviously Hill is going through something similar to what you went through in terms of recovery and vacating the belt.
12:25 Do you have any words of advice for him or just any words at all? What would you tell him in this moment?
12:32 Take the time. Take the time because our body is our weapon.
12:40 So we need to take care about that. To get full power it's necessary to have a time for that. To use all the things.
12:52 Just one question for me. After such a massive acceptance from the Czech fans after your win over Glover,
13:01 are you considering pushing UFC to arrange another event in Czech Republic which you would headline?
13:07 Poland, yeah.
13:08 Czech Republic.
13:09 You are from Poland.
13:10 Brno.
13:11 Yeah, but you are from Poland, yeah?
13:13 We trained together.
13:17 Aha. What did you say?
13:22 Yeah, sure. It will be a great opportunity to show that in Czech Republic and in Europe there are a lot of fans which like to watch MMA.
13:45 And we need it in Europe. We are a little bit like...
13:53 There is a lot of... Now in this age there is a lot of pussy mans. How to say it in a good way?
14:04 I need to say it like that because it's right. So we need to watch the fights. Watch the rare power of a man against another man to be full in our life.
14:21 So not just for that but we like the fights in Czech Republic and in Europe.
14:29 Thank you. VÃtÄ›zstvÃ.
14:30 Jérem proto.
14:32 On a more light hearted note, it's nice to see the top not back after the short haircut from previous fights. What made you decide to grow back the hair?
14:46 The reason is I didn't end one of my chapters in my life and I can't do something, especially the fighting, without how I'm seeing myself in the mirror.
15:14 And this haircut, my war hair is made especially for this moment, for this moment, for the fight week, for the fight.
15:28 And it gave me the power to see myself how I want to see myself all the time. To be connected with my most beautiful ideas about my style, about my ancestors, about the power which gave me.
15:51 And I can't explain and I don't want to speak about it more because it's too personal.
15:59 Jiri in the back left. How are you feeling physically? How is this training camp and how do you compare to before the injury?
16:08 I feel great, prepared, everything is settled. So training camp, most of the time in camp I was in Czech Republic but I have really good coaches around me.
16:28 And they helped me to improve my style, to be more complex fighter, to not just find a way just in a stand up in the right moments but on the ground too, in the wrestling too.
16:47 And that's one of the best thing what I'm really happy for. That I see all my weapons, all my body that can work in every part, stand up, wrestling, ground game. For me it doesn't matter now.
17:10 And where do you see an advantage in this match up? I know you're confident wherever it goes. And you also talked about aiming at weaknesses in your opponents. What weaknesses are you going to try and exploit out of Pereira?
17:27 Next question please.
17:29 You just opened a store, your very own store in the Czech Republic. What did that mean to you and how excited are you for that?
17:37 That's the thing. My store, my brand, which working from year 2015. It's not just the brand with the clothes, it's a brand with idea, with a life stand.
17:59 And I want to share this life stand, this attitude with the people, with other people who feel the same. To go simply, to do everything with full power.
18:18 To use our potential in our life in a full line.
18:29 Right here also. You've leaned on the philosophy of Bushido a lot, specifically Musashi's Five Rings, the concept of never being too high, too low. You're in the most chaotic city in probably the world. You're fighting at MSG, which is, stakes are always super high for a combat athlete.
18:50 Your philosophy, where is it right now in this environment? Can you just describe the atmosphere and how your philosophy of Bushido has helped you kind of manage mentally where you are in this atmosphere?
19:12 I can answer only the same sentences like I said many times, because it's all the time the same. And the key is in the life, the consistency.
19:29 To keep consistent your stand, keep your discipline, keep your attacking for your challenges, challenges in your mind, challenges in your body, with your body.
19:44 Search for the deep soul connection, spirit connection and make it stronger in all the line.
19:58 So that's the way which helped me, my philosophy with that. And especially on the place like here, in New York, Madison Square Garden, really big event.
20:26 I want to share that by that fight with other people, that it's possible to be full power warrior who's connected with these ideas. That's what I like.
20:47 Thanks.
20:54 Thank you everybody. See you on Saturday.
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