Ray Longo, coach of Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling, criticized Jiri Prochazka's post-fight explanation, stating the sport needs to address mental health issues. Longo dismissed Prochazka's "mercy" claim, saying the fighter simply made a serious mistake and looked completely lost. Carlos Ulberg stated Prochazka's mercy narrative was complete nonsense and that fear was actually the issue. Ulberg accused Prochazka of playing to the audience and noted he never approached him after the fight. According to the post, Donald Trump told Paulo Costa after his fight that he is too handsome to be a fighter. Reports suggest tension at City Kickboxing gym between Israel Adesanya and Ulberg, with neither supporting or congratulating the other recently. Ulberg may have suffered an ACL tear requiring 9-12 months recovery, though he said this is theoretical pending this week's tests.
Ray Longo has publicly dismantled Jiri Prochazka's post-fight explanation, calling the Czech fighter's "mercy" narrative a fundamental misreading of what actually happened inside the cage.
Longo, best known as the longtime coach of Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling, did not hold back in his assessment. He argued that Prochazka simply made a serious mistake and appeared completely lost, framing the broader conversation as one the sport needs to have around mental health. Rather than accept the mercy angle, Longo characterized it as a fighter rationalizing a bad performance.
Carlos Ulberg went further, calling the mercy story complete nonsense and pointing to fear as the real factor. Ulberg also flatly denied that Prochazka showed him any sportsmanship after the fight, stating the former champion never approached him. He accused Prochazka of playing to the crowd with his explanation. Prochazka, a 33-year-old Czech ranked second in the light heavyweight division, carries a 32-6-1 record and lands an impressive 5.69 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy, making the loss and its fallout all the more scrutinized.
Ulberg's victory may come with a significant cost. Reports indicate he could have suffered an ACL tear that would require nine to twelve months of recovery, though Ulberg himself described the injury as theoretical pending test results due this week.
Away from the fight itself, tension appears to be simmering at City Kickboxing. Reports suggest Israel Adesanya and Ulberg have not been publicly supporting or congratulating each other recently. Adesanya, 36, holds a 24-6-0 record and is currently ranked eighth in the middleweight division.
In a separate, lighter moment from the same event, Donald Trump reportedly told Paulo Costa he was too handsome to be a fighter. Costa, ranked 13th at middleweight with a 16-4-0 record, leads all active middleweights in significant strikes landed per minute at 6.26 with 58 percent accuracy.
Why it matters
- Prochazka's post-fight credibility is under direct challenge from both a respected coach and his opponent, complicating his path back toward the light heavyweight title picture
- Potential ACL surgery for Ulberg would sideline a newly prominent contender for the better part of a year
- Reported friction between Adesanya and Ulberg raises questions about cohesion at one of MMA's most successful gyms
