Ray Longo, trainer to Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling, suggested the MMA community needs to discuss mental health issues, criticizing Jiri Prochazka's post-fight behavior and claim of showing mercy. Longo stated that Prochazka's unusual rituals are entertaining but that his loss was simply a bad performance, not an act of compassion. Carlos Ulberg dismissed Prochazka's mercy claim entirely, stating it was fear that stopped Prochazka, not compassion. Ulberg accused Prochazka of playing to the crowd and making excuses to secure a rematch, saying Prochazka didn't even approach him after the fight. Donald Trump reportedly told Paulo Costa after his fight that he is "too handsome to be a fighter." There are also reports of tension at City Kickboxing gym between Israel Adesanya and Ulberg, with the two not seen together recently and ignoring each other's performances.
Ray Longo has entered the debate surrounding Jiri Prochazka's post-fight conduct, calling on the MMA community to take a harder look at mental health in the sport while also flatly rejecting the Czech fighter's claim that he showed mercy in his most recent loss.
Longo, best known as the trainer of Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling, acknowledged that Prochazka's pre- and post-fight rituals are entertaining, but stopped short of giving them any deeper meaning. In his view, the performance was simply a bad night, not a conscious act of compassion. Prochazka, ranked second in the light heavyweight division at 33 years old, carries a 32-6-1 record and is one of the more dynamic strikers in the UFC, averaging 5.69 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy. His explanations following the defeat, however, are drawing more attention than the fight itself.
Carlos Ulberg was even more direct. The City Kickboxing product rejected Prochazka's mercy narrative outright, arguing it was fear rather than restraint that caused the stoppage. Ulberg went further, accusing Prochazka of playing to the crowd and manufacturing an excuse to justify a rematch, adding that Prochazka never approached him in the aftermath of the bout.
Why it matters
- Prochazka's rematch case weakens if the broader MMA community sides with Ulberg's version of events
- The public back-and-forth keeps the light heavyweight division's storylines unsettled heading into the next title cycle
- Reported tension between Ulberg and Israel Adesanya at City Kickboxing adds an internal dimension to the gym's public profile; the two have reportedly not been seen together and have been ignoring each other's performances
Separately, reports surfaced that Donald Trump told Paulo Costa, the hard-hitting Brazilian middleweight ranked thirteenth at 35 years old with a 16-4-0 record, that he was too handsome to be a fighter following his most recent bout.
