Ray Longo, trainer of Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling, criticized Jiri Prochazka's mental state and his claims about showing mercy in the Ulberg fight. Longo suggested mental health issues in MMA need discussion, referencing Prochazka's unconventional practices like praying to Olympus, standing on his head, and drinking his own urine. Carlos Ulberg stated that Prochazka's mercy claim was nonsense and that fear caused his mistake, accusing him of making excuses to get a rematch. Ulberg also revealed that Prochazka did not congratulate him after the fight and suggested there is tension at City Kickboxing gym between top fighters. President Trump reportedly told Costa he is too handsome to be a fighter. Ulberg may have suffered an ACL tear with a 9-12 month recovery time.
Ray Longo has publicly questioned Jiri Prochazka's mental state following the Czech fighter's claim that he showed mercy during his loss to Carlos Ulberg, while Ulberg himself fired back by saying fear, not mercy, caused Prochazka's critical mistake in the fight.
Longo, widely known as the trainer behind Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling, stopped short of diagnosing Prochazka but pointed to the light heavyweight contender's unconventional habits — including praying to Olympus, standing on his head, and reportedly drinking his own urine — as grounds for a broader conversation about mental health in mixed martial arts. The 33-year-old Czech southpaw holds a professional record of 32-6-1 and sits ranked second in the light heavyweight division, fighting out of Jetsaam Gym Brno. Prochazka is one of the sport's most aggressive strikers, averaging 5.69 significant strikes per minute with a 55 percent accuracy rate and an eighty-inch reach that makes him a nightmare to engage at distance.
Ulberg, ranked third in the same division at 35 years old, was blunt in his response. The New Zealand-born City Kickboxing product dismissed Prochazka's mercy narrative as an excuse designed to manufacture a rematch, insisting that a moment of fear caused the lapse that decided the fight. Ulberg carries a 15-1 record and is one of the division's most active strikers, landing 6.54 significant strikes per minute. He stands six-foot-four with a 77-inch reach, and that physical frame played a central role in the contest.
Ulberg also disclosed that Prochazka did not congratulate him after the fight, hinting at real tension brewing inside City Kickboxing between elite-level teammates.
Why it matters
- Prochazka's rematch push could stall if the narrative around the mercy claim damages his credibility with UFC matchmakers
- Ulberg is reportedly dealing with a possible ACL tear requiring nine to twelve months of recovery, which significantly complicates his path forward at light heavyweight
- Tension within City Kickboxing between top-ranked fighters adds an internal dynamic that could influence future matchmaking
- Separately, President Trump reportedly told Paulo Costa he is too handsome to be a fighter, a remark that drew attention given Costa's ranked standing at thirteenth in the middleweight division
