Czech UFC fighter Jiri Prochazka is known for his eccentric haircuts throughout his short UFC career. A lot of it stems from his beliefs. He has undergone several changes in his hairstyles depending on the phase in his life he believes he is in. Let’s take a look at his haircuts in the UFC since he made his debut in 2020.
Prochazka has been through a great deal since the early phases of his life. He lost his father at the age of six. He started getting into street fights and almost participated in over 100 of those. Prochazka even joined a hooligan soccer club that organized street brawls.
However, Prochazka realized his fighting abilities were meant for something bigger. He took Muay Thai training early in his life which led him to a successful MMA career. He won the Light Heavyweight title at Gladiator Fighting Championships and Rizin Fighting Federation before making his UFC debut in 2020.
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Prochazka faced Volkan Oezdemir in a Light Heavyweight bout at UFC 251 in July 2020. At the time, Prochazka sported a hairstyle that was not something extraordinary. It was a sort of mohawk that was in trend at the time. Not many paid attention to his hair as his fighting skills were on show in a strong second-round KO win.
Jiri Prochazka changed his hairstyle and sported what he called ‘war hair’
His hairstyle took a fascinating turn before his next fight in 2021. He grew a sort of ponytail to sport a hairstyle he called the ‘war hair’. As you can see in the images below, his hair garnered a lot of interest. Before his fight, he was asked about it during his media duties.
Prochazka said, “That’s my antenna… I was motivated by the Muay Thai warriors, I like this stuff. I say that, it’s war hair. It’s how I am taking this moment, this fight, importantly, seriously. This is the hair just for this moment.”
Prochazka continued his winning streak as he defeated Dominick Reyes during UFC Fight Night in May 2021. He also continued sporting the ‘war hair’ which gave him a distinct identity from the other fighters. However, in 2022, an important event in his life made him change hairstyles again.
Prochazka chopped his ‘war hair’ after claiming the UFC Light Heavyweight title
Prochazka booked a title fight in only his third UFC fight. He faced then-Light Heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira at UFC 275 in June 2022. He was losing the match before pulling out a rear naked choke and making the champion submit in the fifth round.
Following his title win, he celebrated being the first-ever Czech UFC champion. After the celebrations calmed down, Prochazka decided that a new phase in his life had started. He wanted to get a new haircut. So, he went for a military cut and chopped off his ‘war hair’.
“I cut my hair because I needed to end one chapter of my life. So now I can start with new energy, new wave. Honestly,” Prochazka told Ariel Helwani.
The Czech fighter, however, suffered a shoulder injury before he was set to defend his title in December 2022. He vacated the Light Heavyweight title following the injury.