Jiri Prochazka keeps focus on title fight as girlfriend prepares to give birth back home: 'I believe in her'

Prochazka has plenty on his plate at the moment as he prepares to face Carlos Ulberg for the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 327

MIAMI -- Jiri Prochazka and his girlfriend, Kamila Kordulikova, are preparing for the biggest moments of their lives. They face them apart, thousands of miles away from each other.

On Saturday at UFC 327 in Miami, Prochazka fights Carlos Ulberg for the vacant light heavyweight title. Kordulikova is due to give birth to their first child in the Czechia.

"I'm happy that we are both strong and focused on our missions," Prochazka told CBS Sports this week. "It's really powerful to have someone next to you who also believes in you."

This timing wasn't the original plan. Prochazka expected to wait until after their daughter's birth before returning to the Octagon. Then came a life-changing opportunity for the family -- a title shot, Prochazka's first since Alex Pereira pushed him out of the picture with two knockouts in 2023 and 2024.

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A fighter's path is far from predictable. To fight for a UFC title is a dream most never fulfill. Prochazka, a former champion, understands this. So does his girlfriend, who's been with him for nearly his entire MMA journey. They adjusted to the wild circumstances around them after 12 years together.

"I believe in her," Prochazka said. "She'll make it happen."

Prochazka speaks about Kordulikova with the same certainty he brings into a fight: no hesitation. Prochazka is at peace, free from the anxiety of expecting a newborn child to be waiting for him when he returns home. 

"She always supported me. Maybe sometimes she gave me the courage to believe in my way much more than I believed," he said. "That's why I'm where I am right now."

Kordulikova is preparing for something very different.

"Jiri is set to fly away for the last three weeks of the pregnancy," she said in a video posted to his YouTube channel. "So it's a bit mentally demanding… What awaits me now is probably a challenging period alone, because in this state, I can't go anywhere."

It's a scary ordeal for any couple, but Prochazka approaches fear differently than most people. He does not run from it, he seeks it out. Prochazka swims under solid ice and lets fire ants bite into his skin. He disappears into the mountains without a map to test himself against isolation and uncertainty. He perceives fear as a trickster attempting to shake him. The hunger to conquer fear is very much alive, but fatherhood has reshaped those fears.

He's less interested in surviving dangerous situations now. It's irresponsible for a family man to go through such scenarios. With fatherhood around the corner, the challenge has shifted inward.

"To be more honest," Prochazka said when asked what fear he wants to overcome next. "Honest to the people around me. I want to express more of myself. That's why I can speak with you about it on camera.

"I think this is one of the first steps to conquering this fear. I want to speak more honestly about everything and everybody. I don't want to be afraid to fight for what's mine. Not just for what I own, but my own emotions."

Kordulikova has seen the change up close.

"Completely, it seems to me 100%," she said. "Especially all those relationship things. His approach to a lot of things has rapidly changed with such a big responsibility coming, so you need to direct some energy there. It definitely changed him a lot."

She just hopes one part of him stays the same; the part that's adored him to MMA fans.

"In what direction, well, I hope not in the fighting one," Kordulikova said. "There, I hope he'll still be the same, just as aggressive, scrappy, and relentless and persistent. That's for sure, yes. I hope he changes, but only in family life, and in competition he stays the same."

Prochazka, a fighter who's never fit a mold, finds new meaning in real time. He will be defined by the balance between who he's been and who he's becoming. He's a fighter shaped by chaos and guided by discipline, stepping into a new chapter of fatherhood while chasing the title he once held.