Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka became upset at UFC 300 media day after hearing his upcoming opponent Aleksandar Rakic question his “samurai” credentials, a spiritual connection Prochazka often refers to, and responded by stating Rakic doesn’t know him personally and will get to know him in the cage.
Jiri Prochazka, he’s a samurai at heart. Or so he claims. He’s a former UFC light heavyweight champ, and he doesn’t take kindly to folks questioning his samurai spirit.
Take Aleksandar Rakic, for instance. At the UFC 300 media day, Rakic dared to suggest that Prochazka isn’t a “real samurai.” That didn’t sit well with Prochazka. Not at all.
“Rakic, he’s all talk,” Prochazka retorted. “He doesn’t know me. He’ll get to know me in the cage. He’ll see what I’m capable of. How far I’ll go to win. He doesn’t know me personally. So how can he talk about me? It’s nonsense.”
Prochazka continued, “I’ve never claimed to be a samurai. I respect all warriors throughout history. I share the best ideas and thoughts I’ve had with the world. These thoughts have helped me improve and stay on my path. Rakic doesn’t know anything about me or my life. He doesn’t know what I’ve sacrificed. But when you accept your path, you live your life, do your thing. So, he’s just talking nonsense.”
Rakic is set to make a splash this Saturday. It’s his first fight since May 2022 when he injured his knee in a bout with Jan Blachowicz. That injury put a damper on Rakic’s 6-1 start in the UFC.
Prochazka isn’t sure if Rakic’s trash talk is genuine or just an attempt to make headlines after his long layoff. “Maybe he believes what he’s saying, but he’s mistaken,” Rakic said. “Sometimes we believe in things that aren’t true. I feel a bit sorry for him.”
Prochazka isn’t known for his trash talk. He’s built his reputation in the cage, with 13 straight wins from 2016-2022. His crowning achievement? A stunning victory over Glover Teixeira to become the UFC light heavyweight champ.
An injury forced Prochazka to give up the title shortly after winning it at UFC 275. He tried to reclaim it at UFC 295 against Alex Pereira but fell short. His desire to be champ again is motivation enough. And if there’s any real beef with Rakic, it’ll be settled outside the octagon.
“That’s how you see the true warriors,” Prochazka said. “If I had a real problem with Aleksandar, I’d go to his house and knock on his door. That’s how I’d handle it. But if this is just him spouting nonsense and people expect me to get mad and say, ‘That’s not true, I am a samurai, you’ll pay for what you said,’ that’s just…nonsense. I won’t show anything. I’m going for the win. That’s all I can say.”