Jiri Prochazka was once a party-going football hooligan but is now on the brink of becoming a UFC champion.
No.2 ranked light-heavyweight Prochazka challenges champion Glover Teixeira in the main event of UFC 275 tonight. Prochazka finds himself in unprecedented territory as he challenges for the UFC title after just two fights in the promotion.
Long before the impressive knockout wins against Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz which propelled him to a title shot, or the success he achieved as a champion in Japanese-promotion Rizin, Prochazka used to throw "wild parties" after winning fights.
The Czech fighter's close friend Michael Sauer told ESPN that in the early days of Prochazka's fighting career, he would throw crazy parties which saw him drink champagne from a vacuum hose and vodka from the fuel line of his friend's motorbike which had its engine running.
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"He was wild at those parties," Sauer said. "Not only dancing, but everyone was watching him. He's a little bit like Conor McGregor. Everybody knows that he's in the room. He was very noisy. He likes attention. Not only parties, but he liked attention everywhere he went. He was a very funny guy and everybody liked it, because he made some fun."
Prochazka's introduction to fighting as a teenager wasn't through combat sports, but instead football hooliganism. He joined a firm for his local team in Czech Republic, FC Zbrojovak Brno. Prochazka took part in pre-organised brawls of 30 on 30 against rival clubs.
The UFC star also took part in street fights and said of his early fighting experiences: "That was the next step in this fighting lifestyle. I was just about looking for myself, all the time. All the time. The man, we are still looking for ourselves. That's all."
Prochazka eventually ditched fighting on the streets to take up MMA and made his professional debut in 2012. His coach, Jaroslav Hovezak, said the fighter was getting more disciplined but it wasn't until he introduced him to 'The Book of the Five Rings' that drastic changes occurred.
The book, written by legendary Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, taught Prochazka the bushido principles and samurai values that he preaches by today. "The book is a guide for us and we create our own strategy," Hovezak said.
"I believe that after years Jiri will write a similar book according to which the new fighters will follow. He's living the Bushido way and everything and he wanted his personal friends to live the same or similar. He wanted the people around him to be the same way."
Prochazka is the betting favourite heading into his title fight tonight. Teixeira, who is the second-oldest champion in UFC history, looks to make his first defence of his 205lb title since winning it at UFC 267 last October.
