Ray Longo, trainer of Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling, harshly criticized Jiri Prochazka's post-fight claim about showing mercy, calling it evidence of mental health issues in MMA and stating Prochazka simply made a serious mistake. Carlos Ulberg echoed this sentiment, asserting that fear, not mercy, caused Prochazka's hesitation and accusing him of playing to the audience with fabricated excuses to secure a rematch. Ulberg also revealed tension at City Kickboxing gym, noting he and Israel Adesanya haven't been seen together recently and no longer publicly support each other's fights. Additionally, Ulberg is suspected to have suffered an ACL tear with 9-12 month recovery time, though official confirmation is pending. Donald Trump reportedly told Paulo Costa after his fight that he's "too handsome to be a fighter."
Ray Longo has publicly dismissed Jiri Prochazka's post-fight claim that he showed mercy to an opponent, calling it a serious lapse in judgment and suggesting the excuse points to deeper mental health concerns within the sport.
Longo, best known as the trainer of Merab Dvalishvili and former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, was blunt in his assessment. He argued that Prochazka, the Czech Republic's 33-year-old light heavyweight contender ranked second in his division, did not show mercy — he simply made a mistake and is now constructing a narrative around it. Prochazka carries a 32-6-1 record and is one of the more dynamic strikers in the division, landing 5.69 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy, but Longo maintained that no act of competitive restraint can be retroactively dressed up as intentional.
Carlos Ulberg went further, stating that what Prochazka displayed was fear, not compassion. Ulberg accused him of playing to the crowd with a fabricated story designed to angle for a rematch rather than accept responsibility for the error.
Ulberg also addressed the state of his relationship with Israel Adesanya, his City Kickboxing teammate. The 36-year-old Nigerian middleweight, ranked eighth at 193 cm with an 80-inch reach and a 24-6-0 record, has apparently had some distance from Ulberg in recent months. Ulberg noted the two have not been seen together publicly and are no longer visibly supporting each other's fights, confirming real tension within the Auckland gym.
Separately, Ulberg is suspected to have suffered an ACL tear, with an estimated recovery window of nine to twelve months, though no official confirmation has been issued.
On a lighter note, Brazilian middleweight Paulo Costa — ranked 13th at 16-4-0 — reportedly received an unusual compliment from Donald Trump following his most recent bout, with Trump telling the 35-year-old he was too handsome to be a fighter.
Why it matters
- Prochazka's post-fight framing is now drawing credibility challenges from multiple voices in the sport, complicating any rematch push
- The reported rift between Ulberg and Adesanya raises questions about the internal cohesion at City Kickboxing, one of the world's top MMA programs
- A potential nine-to-twelve-month absence for Ulberg would significantly affect his positioning in the light heavyweight division
