Jiří Procházka | Ready For The Hunt

The impending arrival of a child has been a gamechanger for Procházka, who admitted that he feared it would somehow diminish him as a fighter. But, as the due date draws ever closer, he’s come to the realization that the opposite is the case.

“First, I thought it would take the power from me, and from all the preparation,” he said. “I've felt a special focus for what I'm doing. Every time we spoke with my girlfriend via video call, there was a new reason to be stronger – not to prove anything, but to be stronger in who I am, because I really want to be the king of my family, and be a true man. This is a big theme in my life.”

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Procházka is a man who likes to live on the edge. Earlier this year, he visited Peña de Bernal, a 433-meter monolith in Mexico, and scaled it, free solo style (without ropes). Now, with impending fatherhood just around the corner, he admits that the time has come to curb his daredevil ways. But, rather than removing the edge from Procházka, he revealed it’s only served to sharpen his fighting skills, because now he’s become more focused than ever on his training.  

“In Mexico City, yeah, there was one thing that I did, climbing the mountain, and that was a little bit dangerous,” he said, in a masterpiece of understatement. “I have to stop doing these little dangerous things to keep myself self-confident, and be more focused on what's here and now, and for the upcoming fight. And to keep in mind that at home, the family was waiting for me… So yeah, maybe that's what I changed in this preparation – to be more focused, more locked-in – in the preparation, in every training, every breath in the training, every punch, every move, every lift of the weights. And that's one of the most important things in my preparation right now – to maybe take life more seriously.”

That more serious approach has led to Procházka becoming more professional in his preparation for his fight with Ulberg, with the Czech star explaining how he has remained laser-focused on the job at hand during his fight camp.

“For sure. I'm taking all the preparation more seriously, from my team, from my family, from everyone around me,” he said. “Right now I understand more that this is not just fun. All this training is not just to show how strong I am, and to enjoy the power in the training. It's more like professional work, like an artist going every day to do work, and the art is not just a joy, but artists have to be professional in their art. So (I have) to be the artist, every day.”

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It all means Procházka has arrived in Miami feeling as sharp and ready for the challenge that lies ahead. That challenge, a five-round title fight with 13-1 contender Ulberg, is one that offers an entertaining matchup on paper. Procházka says that, given the skills and fighting styles of both him and his opponent, the fans are right to be excited for their main event clash this weekend.

“It's a great matchup, you know? Two stand-up guys, good styles, both of them – one crazy, chaotic guy who likes to end every fight, and the second side is a very systematic fighter who is very precise and who has the patience to wait for his moment. So I think it's a great matchup when I (view it from the standpoint of) somebody who will watch the fight.”

Procházka is also excited and eager for the matchup, not so much from the crowd-pleasing aspect, but more because he’s walking a tightrope of peril against a legitimate knockout artist, whom he’s viewing as prey inside the Octagon.

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“From my side, from my point of view, this is the opponent that I really need,” he explained. “Because he's fast, he loves to move on the legs. Lots of left hands, checking the jab and hook, all these things. And this is what I like to have as an opponent. And these types of opponents, like Ulberg – I don't want to say it, but it's naturally in me – I see him as a really dangerous animal that I like to hunt. I have to be precise, I have to be really patient, I have to pay attention to all of his sharp weapons. Do not underestimate him, any action, every action, for 200 percent. So yeah, that's why I like this matchup.”

He may be facing a polished, composed kickboxer, but Procházka knows that his fights have a penchant for the chaotic, with his recent win over Rountree a prime example. After Rountree started off working well, utilizing his Muay Thai striking, Procházka turned the tide and eventually got the finish by imposing his at-times wild, unorthodox fighting style on his opponent.

The big Czech said that he knows he always has that option available to him in fights, but he’d prefer to get the job done in much cleaner fashion this time around.

WATCH: Jiří Procházka Fight Week Interview | UFC 327

“If (the fight) goes this way (chaos), it will be in my way of fighting, but I would like to show a much more professional performance than I have ever shown,” he said. “Because there is nothing that inspires me more than being just a little bit better than before, the fight before ... and to have a good feeling about my performance.

“For me right now, I would like to prove that I'm a true professional in this game. To not just stay as a champion once, but to be a champion and defend the belt and stay as a champion. But, more than this, it's about the performance. It's about showing (I’m) just a little better in the performance, to be more precise, be smarter, than my opponent. Better movement, better timing, more precise with the punches, great defense – which I'm praying I will not forget! – and show it in the fight. That's what this is all about.”