Football hooligan became Samurai-inspired UFC star ‘ready to die for victory’

UFC star Jiri Prochazka is on the brink of history; on Saturday, Prochazka could become the first Czech UFC Champion.

However, he faces a sizeable obstacle in the form of UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira – who could claim a seventh straight win. But the Czech has faced obstacles his entire life, and he has reached the title bout thanks to a chance purchase.

Prochazka has tried to embody the 'samurai spirit' after he purchased The Book of Five Rings. And Daily Star Sport is looking at the Czech's rise from football hooliganism, samurai, and finally, taking the UFC by storm.

As a six-year-old, Prochazka tragically lost his dad, causing him to grow up without an authoritative figure.

The young Prochazka would regularly be involved in street fights – which in turn led him to meet members of the hooligans for FC Zbrojovka Brno. A diminutive side in his homeland, FC Zbrojovka Brno ply their trade in the second tier of Czech football.

Prochazka loved the sense of community that following his team brought – and of course the 30-on-30 brawls – but he still felt he lacked something.

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As it turned out, that small thing he was missing was found in The Book of Five Rings.

"It was The Book of Five Rings, and that was the samurai spirit and all these ideas around Japanese culture I took it on as my own, and that was the main thing of why I started to think like that – to read the philosophy and all these books around fighting," he told the BBC.

"Purpose is a good word. It changed my life because like I said I had no rules in my life after my father died, so that's why I was looking for some strong information and strong ideas I can keep in my life."

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The Czech soon began following bushido – the moral code followed by samurai – as he left his hooligan days behind him for MMA.

He added: "It [bushido] is about giving everything in my performance inside the cage – that's all, nothing more. To do whatever it takes for a win, if it's necessary to die in the fight for a victory, you have to do that.

"Everything is great, everything is prepared. I had a face-off with Glover and I know I'm prepared, he is prepared – but I will be better."

Prochazka is undefeated in Dana White's promotion – with victories over Dominick Reyes and Volkan Oezdemir – and both wins have come via knockout.

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