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Lots of fighters say they want to change the world, but few have endeavored to accomplish it in the same manner as UFC light heavyweight contender Jiri Prochazka. Prochazka, 28, from Czechia, desires to use his professional fighting career to help raise the consciousness of the entire planet.
“It’s just so beautiful that you want to show it to other people,” Prochazka told Heavy. The fighter was talking about the profound effect of being in the moment and it’s a practice he believes can help change the world into a better place.
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‘The Conscious Fighter’
If Prochazka’s goal sounds more like something a modern-day spiritual author such as Eckhart Tolle might say than it does the words of a UFC fighter on the rise, that’s because it totally is.
But the way of life Tolle expresses in popular books such as “The Power of Now” and “A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose” is exactly the same way of life Prochazka wants to encourage other people to consider.
“Honestly, I have to become the best fighter in the world so with the respect and following I gain I can raise consciousness, and change the nation, the world, and everything to the better,” Prochazka said about his mission in a 2020 documentary film called “The Conscious Fighter”.
Like Tolle, Prochazka believes the key to that transformation is through present-moment awareness. That is the place Prochazka has found the most valuable time in his life, and he wants to share his experience with others.
“I have achieved these states of full bliss, love towards everything, and being in harmony and understanding with all that it is,” Prochazka said in that same documentary.
Prochazka seems to consider himself a missionary for the idea. He told Heavy he doesn’t consider himself a spiritual master, or anything like that right now, be he also said the journey to that place was his highest concern.
“I’m not [calling myself] a master, but that’s my way,” Prochazka said.
So mastery might be his aim, but the journey is the most important part of the equation.
“When you are a master, you destroy the ego. When you destroy the ego, there is no you. There is no me. There is just the moment. There is just being and doing. Nothing else. That’s my idea of mastery,” Prochazka said.
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Prochazka Fights for More Than Wins and Losses
Prochazka can flat-out fight, but he’s focused on more than just wins and losses.
He was the inaugural light heavyweight champion for both The Czech Republic’s Gladiator Fighting Championship and Japan’s RIZIN FF promotion.
Now, one of the UFC’s fastest-rising stars hopes to be fast-tracked to a title shot.
Prochazka takes on Dominick Reyes in the main event of UFC Vegas 25 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. The UFC’s latest Fight Night card will be streamed live in the United States via ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m. ET.
It’s just Prochazka’s second fight under the promotional banner, but the fighter is hoping a 2-0 record featuring the desired victory over Reyes and his accomplished one against Volkan Oezdemi, will move him right into title contention.
Prochazka Reveals True Target: Being Here Now
But the reason Prochazka hopes to achieve his UFC goals is so he can share his philosophy on life, and the way he seeks to achieve those necessary wins inside the Octagon is what sets him apart.
Prochazka says all of his achievements will happen through the practice of completing giving himself over to the present moment.
“That’s the target of not just the fight but of life. The present moment is…I have no word for that, it’s the most powerful place you ever can be,” Prochazka said.
His mission statement is all over his social media pages. Pivoting off the “Be. Here. Now” movement, Prochazka wants to “/WIN/NOW/HERE\\\”.
So when asked for a prediction for his upcoming battle with Reyes, Prochazka offered the perfect answer.
“Prediction?” he laughed. “I will let the present moment decide.”
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