”I believe that he’s a man of certain principles and morals and things like that. If he’s not willing to bypass those, if he feels this is important for something that he needs to do before he returns, I applaud him.” Despite being contenders in the same weight class, Jamahal Hill couldn’t steer away from praising Jiri Prochazka. Many others have also lauded the ‘Czech Samurai’ for his dedication to his studies. But a few concerns are lying around about that. 

Prochazka isn’t the only fighter who’s had to weigh the decision between hitting the books and stepping into the octagon. Dan Hardy had to step away from his last year at Nottingham Trent University to chase his dream in MMA full-time. Impa Kasanganay, the PFL light heavyweight standout, is hitting the books hard at Harvard for his MBA and has his sights set on a PhD down the line. So, what’s the deal with the #2 light heavyweight contender? Let’s kick things off by diving into Prochazka’s background and education. 

What college degree did Jiri Prochazka complete?

Prochazka completed his secondary education at Brno’s School of Law and Security. And later, he studied Applied Sports Education for Security Forces at the Faculty of Sports Studies, Masaryk University, Brno. His focus during his Bachelor’s degree remained on improving his physical fitness policy aligned with the requirements within the security forces. But he had to go a bit further. He had to get a Master’s degree as well.

‘Denisa’ continued his higher studies at the same university. The field he chose was Security and Strategic Studies. The specialization includes Criminology, Management and Marketing for Security Forces, Professional Self Defense, and English. On top of that, he needed to submit a thesis where he had to analyze blood samples before and after training at high altitudes. 

Prochazka wrapped up his thesis defense on 10 June 2025. Taking to X, he announced, “Thesis defense done. Now just full focus to state final exams in two weeks ⚡️🙏⚡️.” Now, the finals have ended, and Prochazka has finally received his Master’s degree. And now, we can expect him to get back into the Octagon. Through social media, he announced, “Mission accomplished… now we can start negotiate about our next move.” 

You’ve guessed it already! ‘Czech Samurai’ was a bit too invested in his studies and left a chance to fight Magomed Ankalaev for the LHW title. Frustrated by the rejection, the light heavyweight champion didn’t back down from calling Prochazka a “nerd.” But let’s weigh in on that a bit. 

Jiri Prochazka chose studies over fighting for the belt

Talking to Sports.cz, coach Martin Karaivanov claimed that Jiri Prochazka had received an opportunity to fight Ankalaev for the belt. The bout was slated to go down at the International Fight Week. However, ‘Denisa’ had his priorities straight. The coach said, “We had one offer for a match, but everything is being postponed because of school. Once he finishes it, we will continue negotiations.”

During a later conversation with Full Violence, Prochazka responded to Ankalaev’s callout. He said, “I’m after the [Ankalaev] fight, it’s a little bit of time. So right now I’m focused on my target. Right now, what’s most important to me, is school. He’s a big mouth guy, I don’t care if it’s him or his manager, because he did enough for people to stop taking him seriously. He will put himself down with all of this nonsense talking.”

So, now that he has completed his Master’s degree, who will the Czech light heavyweight contender fight? He has already given a timeline for sometime between August and October. But according to the talk of MMA town, Prochazka speculated that Alex Pereira wasn’t going to fight Ankalaev. Hence, he still has the chance to fight for the gold. He revealed, “My manager is trying to keep negotiating the fight with Ankalaev. If Pereira will fight with him, I will fight with somebody else, but I’m focused on Ankalaev after that.”

Pereira’s upcoming rematch with Ankalaev expected between September -November in UAE may shift Prochazka’s title path.

Refusing to fight for the belt at UFC 317 might have enraged the Russian champion, but it reflected the Czech fighter’s discipline. And that parallels his MMA ethos. Who knows, we might actually see him coaching youngsters, or enrolling in the military or security forces after retiring from the UFC. But are you impressed by Prochazka’s dedication?