(Reuters) - Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira's meteoric rise in the UFC fuelled by a string of knockouts has a magical aura to it, and his next opponent Jiri Prochazka believes the magic may be present in a literal way.
Prochazka, who was knocked out by Pereira in their first fight in November, said the Brazilian former kickboxing world champion used shamanic rituals before every fight to help him win.
“Everybody knows he’s working with some shamans from his hometown. He believes in some spiritual help from them. I believe, too, but I believe in the best human performance – right here, right now, without magic," Prochazka told reporters ahead of their rematch at UFC 303 on Saturday.
"Right now, this is my challenge to him, if we can fight in a clear way in this case... without some whatever."
Pereira, who has eight knockouts in his 10 professional MMA wins, brushed aside Prochazka's comments at Thursday's pre-fight press conference.
"I think everyone has a spirit. We don't just live in a body. If he hasn't found his spirit yet, it's not my fault," he said.
UFC fighters are no stranger to pre-fight rituals, with former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz famously touching a rope used by a man to hang himself, whose corpse he had found in a forest, for good luck.
Conor McGregor, who was originally scheduled to fight Michael Chandler on Saturday but pulled out due to injury, is known to pack his grandfather's hat in a bag before every fight, while Brandon Vera used to pack his bags twice.
"This is not a question about (what) I believe," Prochazka said. "I am 100% self-confident."
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Chopra)