Ray Longo, coach of Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling, harshly criticized Jiri Prochazka's post-fight explanation about showing "mercy," suggesting it raises concerns about mental health in MMA. Longo dismissed Prochazka's justification, stating he simply made a critical mistake rather than showing compassion. Carlos Ulberg responded by saying Prochazka's claim of showing mercy was complete nonsense and that fear was the real issue. Ulberg accused Prochazka of playing to the crowd and using the mercy narrative to justify a rematch request, which Ulberg believes won't happen as Magomed Ankalaev will defeat Prochazka. Ulberg also noted that Prochazka didn't approach him after the fight and that Trump told Costa after his bout that he was "too handsome to be a fighter." There are also reports of tension at City Kickboxing gym between top fighters, with Israel Adesanya and Ulberg reportedly not appearing together recently.
Carlos Ulberg has flatly rejected Jiri Prochazka's post-fight "mercy" narrative and shut down any talk of an immediate rematch, while coach Ray Longo offered a pointed critique of the Czech fighter's explanation in the days following their light heavyweight contest.
Prochazka, 33, holds a professional record of 32-6-1 and is currently ranked second in the UFC light heavyweight division. Fighting out of Jetsaam Gym Brno, the six-foot-three Czech southpaw carries one of the more aggressive output profiles in the division, landing 5.69 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy. After the loss, Prochazka publicly suggested he had shown his opponent mercy rather than finishing the fight, framing the defeat in terms of compassion.
Ray Longo, known as the coach of Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling, was dismissive of that explanation. Longo characterized the claim as a simple critical mistake dressed up in altruistic language and suggested the framing raised broader concerns about mental health in the sport.
Ulberg went further, calling Prochazka's mercy claim complete nonsense and arguing that fear, not compassion, was the real factor. Ulberg accused Prochazka of playing to the crowd and using the narrative to justify a rematch request. Ulberg made clear he does not expect that rematch to materialize, predicting instead that Magomed Ankalaev would handle Prochazka next. Ulberg also noted that Prochazka did not approach him after the fight concluded.
Why it matters
- Prochazka's rematch case weakens significantly if the mercy narrative is widely dismissed within the fighter and coaching community
- Ulberg's position and Longo's public criticism add pressure on UFC matchmakers to look elsewhere at light heavyweight
- Separately, reports of friction at City Kickboxing involving ranked middleweight Israel Adesanya, 36, and Ulberg add a subplot worth monitoring at the Auckland gym
- Paulo Costa, ranked thirteenth at middleweight with a record of 16-4-0, drew an offhand compliment from Donald Trump at the event, a footnote Ulberg referenced in his post-fight comments
