Ray Longo, coach to Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling, questioned Jiri Prochazka's mental state after his loss to Carlos Ulberg, dismissing the Czech fighter's claim that he showed mercy. Longo stated that Prochazka simply made a serious mistake and appeared lost in the octagon. Carlos Ulberg also rejected Prochazka's mercy narrative, asserting that fear and hesitation drove Prochazka's actions, not compassion. Ulberg accused Prochazka of playing to the audience and suggested the excuse was an attempt to secure a rematch. He predicted that Magomed Ankalaev would defeat Prochazka decisively. The post highlights widespread skepticism about Prochazka's post-fight explanation for his performance.
Ray Longo and Carlos Ulberg have both gone on record to challenge Jiri Prochazka's post-fight explanation following the Czech fighter's loss to Ulberg at UFC 327 on April 11, with neither man buying the claim that mercy played any role in the outcome.
Longo, who coaches bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili among others out of the Serra-Longo Fight Team, was blunt in his assessment. He said Prochazka simply made a serious mistake and looked lost inside the octagon, dismissing any suggestion that a deliberate act of compassion shaped what unfolded. Prochazka, a 33-year-old Czech orthodox striker ranked second in the light heavyweight division, carries a 32-6-1 record and is one of the more aggressive volume fighters in the sport, averaging 5.69 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy.
Ulberg himself was equally dismissive. The New Zealand-born City Kickboxing product, who improved to 15-1-0 with the win and now holds the third ranking in the division, argued that fear and hesitation drove Prochazka's behavior, not compassion. The 35-year-old, standing six-foot-four with a 77-inch reach, averages 6.54 significant strikes landed per minute at the same 55 percent accuracy clip — numbers that make him one of the sharper offensive forces in the weight class. Ulberg also accused Prochazka of playing to the crowd and suggested the mercy framing was designed to manufacture grounds for a rematch. He added that he expects Magomed Ankalaev to defeat Prochazka decisively when the two meet.
Why it matters
- Prochazka's loss drops him to second in the light heavyweight rankings while Ulberg climbs to third, tightening the divisional picture at the top
- The dispute over Prochazka's narrative could influence whether a rematch is considered credible by the UFC
- Ulberg's Ankalaev prediction signals he sees no clear path back for Prochazka among the division's elite
Saturday, April 11, 2026
