Czech mixed martial arts fighter gave himself a “nettle therapy” and said he felt “reborn”

Jiří Procházka once again surprised fans with unusual training methods. The former UFC light heavyweight champion posted a video in which he almost completely immerses himself in a patch of stinging nettles and then deliberately rubs his hands, chest and face with the leaves. After the procedure, the athlete admitted:

“My body was tingling all night, but the next day I feel cleansed and reborn.”

According to Procházka, this is not just an eccentric stunt, but a kind of ritual symbolizing the end of spring and the start of a new training phase.

Not the fighter’s first strange ritual

MMA fans have long known Jiří as one of the UFC’s most unusual athletes. He regularly talks about samurai philosophy, practices long meditations in the forest, spends time alone in nature and believes that such trials help strengthen not only the body, but also the mind. So the latest nettle clip did not come as much of a surprise to anyone — rather, it confirmed his reputation as someone who is constantly looking for new ways to harden his character.

Is there any benefit to nettle therapy?

The method Procházka demonstrated really exists. It is known as urtication — the deliberate application of fresh stinging nettles to the skin. This practice has been used in folk medicine in various European countries for centuries.

Supporters of the method believe that the stinging stimulates local blood circulation and may temporarily relieve pain in the joints and muscles. However, modern medicine does not have convincing evidence of the effectiveness of such therapy, and doctors warn that for some people contact with nettles can cause a severe allergic reaction or skin irritation.

Why does nettle sting at all?

Nettle leaves and stems are covered with microscopic hollow hairs. When touched, they break, turning into tiny “needles” through which a mixture of biologically active substances, including histamine, acetylcholine and formic acid, enters the skin. These are what cause the burning, redness and itching familiar to everyone.

In Procházka’s case, the effect was so strong that, according to him, the tingling lasted all night. But the fighter himself was not bothered by it — on the contrary, he described the experience as a feeling of complete cleansing and renewal.