“When you’re cutting weight and you can’t eat or drink water, you don’t care about any material things… So I didn’t want to suffer anymore. I didn’t want to go through that,” explained former featherweight kingpin Ilia Topuria, revealing his reason for moving up to 155 after the severe toll it took on his body. His statement highlights the serious risks of extreme weight cuts, where fighters drastically limit water intake, push through intense sweat sessions, and spend long hours in saunas, all of which can take a serious toll on their health.

Take UFC legend Daniel Cormier, who suffered kidney failure during the 2008 Olympics after a brutal weight cut. Similarly, fighters like Max Holloway, Nathaniel Wood, and Alex Pereira have also dealt with major health issues from extreme weight cutting. However, despite these struggles, many have successfully moved up to higher weight classes and continue performing at an elite level. Amid these challenges, UFC former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka has now shared his strange and surprising weight-cutting method.

Jiri Prochazka shares secrets behind his weight cut

“The mind is everything. What you think you become.” Buddha once said this, and it seems to be true for Jiri Prochazka, who managed to cut down his weight almost purely through focus and mindset! The revelation left Demetrious Johnson visibly shocked when ‘BJP’ joined him for a conversation. Prochazka told the MMA Flyweight GOAT,

“I’m not keeping any diet before the weight, and my body just naturally went from 100 kilos to 93 in five weeks, naturally. Like the next day, I have 97–98 kilograms, and that’s how I’m doing the weight.” Johnson, astonished, asked, “So you don’t have to diet at all?” and Prochazka simply replied, “Naturally.” Going deeper, Jiri Prochazka explained how his mindset shapes his results, “I just realize… what? When is the fight? I just know the weigh-in, and then my weight is going down, down, down. The day before the weigh-in, 94–95 kilograms.”

Johnson found it hard to believe and pressed further, “So… so… so I’ll make sure it gets away. So you’re telling me that Jiri Prochazka can sit here and think, ‘I need to be 93 kilograms,’ and boom, you’re gonna be there?” The Czech star dismissed any suggestion of “black magic” but reinforced his weight-cut method, explaining how his body gradually drops weight day by day throughout the week, ultimately bringing the former champion down to the UFC’s light heavyweight limit.

Jiri Prochazka has recently been in discussions about moving to the middleweight division, having spoken with UFC veteran Michael Bisping in an interview. However, he made it clear that his first priority is settling unfinished business with Alex Pereira in their trilogy, “For this question about middleweight, just I will go there, but I will go there if I win the title fight in light heavyweight,” he said.

In the meantime, Prochazka has become known in the UFC for his highly unconventional training and preparation methods, which include depriving himself of food and water, locking himself in darkness for a week, covering his eyes, training with swords, and even rolling in the snow.

Jiri Prochazka shares the story of pushing his limits with 24-hour training

Jiri Procházka’s latest win over Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 320 has put him back in line as a title contender against Alex Pereira. Now, as a potential trilogy fight with Pereira approaches, ‘The Last Samurai’ plans to adopt new training methods to gain an edge over the Brazilian. Known for his intense and unconventional approach, the Czech star has also drawn attention online, with some Reddit threads mocking his unusual routines.

Earlier this year, for example, he practiced punches while running on a treadmill, using these sessions to test his mental toughness. Meanwhile, in a recent interview with Demetrious Johnson, the former champion revealed that he once trained for 24 hours straight, practicing only 1-2 and 1-2-3 combos. “Once, I did 24 hours just 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2, 1-2-3, for 24 hours, I did that,” he said. “Man, when you have a reason, everything will work,” Prochazka said.

As for his title fight trilogy with Pereira, it remains undecided, with the final call resting in Dana White’s hands. At the same time, his UFC future appears secure as Alex Pereira waits for the promotion’s approval for his ‘superfight’ heavyweight bout against Jon Jones. So, do you think Jiri Prochazka deserves the trilogy? Drop your opinion below.