Jiri Prochazka will don a new look for his upcoming clash with Jamahal Hill at UFC 311.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka shaved his head for his upcoming UFC 311 clash to pay tribute to a devoted fan who is in the fight of her life away from the cage. Inside the cage, Procházka is looking to make his fanbase proud once again as he chases another UFC title shot.
Procházka will face former titleholder Jamahal Hill in a pivotal UFC 311 main card bout on Saturday in Los Angeles. Both fighters are coming off brutal knockout losses to the champion, Alex Pereira, and are aiming to make a statement in their returns to the Octagon.
Last month, Bloody Elbow covered a story involving Jiri Prochazka and a female cancer patient who donned his famous ‘War Hair’ hairstyle in preparation for chemotherapy. It took mere hours for Procházka to see our story, and reach out to the unnamed cancer patient in a heartwarming connection.
At the UFC 311 pre-fight press conference on Thursday, many verbal jabs were traded between the main card fighters, most notably co-headliners Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov. But Procházka stole the show by revealing that he’s donating $50,000 to cancer research, a donation which UFC CEO Dana White immediately pledged on stage that he’ll match.
Jiri Prochazka flies out viral fan who donned his ‘War Hair’ ahead of chemotherapy
The Procházka fan, to her surprise, was flown out to Los Angeles to cheer on the UFC star this weekend at UFC 311. She’s expected to sit cage-side along with several family members as she watches her favorite fighter compete again inside the Octagon.
During UFC 311 media day on Wednesday, Procházka donned his usual ‘War Hair’ hairdo as he took questions from media members. Immediately following his media availability, he returned to his hotel room to shave his head in honor of one of his biggest fans.
Win or lose this weekend, Procházka’s generosity is one of the budding storylines entering UFC 311. He and the fan will have the chance to meet sometime before or after his fight with Hill.
Jiri Prochazka shaved his head and is donating $50K to support a fan who was diagnosed with cancer ❤️🙏
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) January 17, 2025
Dana White adds that he'll match his donation to make it $100K#UFC311 #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/SCbg3TucVa
Jiri Prochazka’s UFC 311 showcase just got a little bigger after the press conference
It’s a heartwarming angle for Procházka and his team ahead of arguably the most important fight of his career at UFC 311. Coming off of two losses to Pereira, Procházka is in a ‘must-win’ situation to keep his hopes alive for a trilogy with Pereira down the line, potentially even later this year.
Procházka took a short-notice gamble in a rematch with Pereira at UFC 303 last June, losing by knockout. It was a repeat performance of his first knockout loss to Pereira at UFC 295 for the then-vacant UFC light heavyweight championship.
In between Pereira bouts, Procházka earned a come-from-behind victory against Aleksandar Rakić at UFC 300 last April. His performance showed the best of his unique skillset, a performance which he’ll look to replicate this weekend at UFC 311.