Here's something that's stirring up debate in the MMA world right now: Carlos Ulberg isn't holding back his thoughts on how Jiri Prochazka behaved while sitting ringside during Alex Pereira's dramatic UFC 320 victory—and his comments are raising some eyebrows.
When UFC 320's main event rolled around, Jiri Prochazka (https://bloodyelbow.com/tag/jiri-prochazka/) made absolutely certain everyone knew he was there. The Czech fighter has firmly positioned himself back into the championship picture at light heavyweight, despite suffering two defeats at the hands of Alex Pereira in previous encounters.
Prochazka's recent momentum has been undeniable. Since his last battle with 'Poatan,' he's strung together an impressive pair of victories. His winning streak began this past January when he put a stop to Jamahal Hill's aspirations. Then, at the October 4th event, Prochazka demonstrated his resilience by staging a comeback to deliver a devastating knockout blow to Khalil Rountree Jr. (https://bloodyelbow.com/2025/10/04/jiri-prochazka-vs-khalil-rountree-jr-title-eliminator-ends-in-faceplant-ko-after-ufc-320-comeback/) in what turned out to be an intensely competitive three-round battle.
Riding high from that performance—which earned him double bonuses—'BJP' shifted his focus to the evening's headlining bout. He secured himself a prime viewing position right at the cage as Pereira successfully reclaimed his title by exacting revenge against Magomed Ankalaev (https://bloodyelbow.com/2025/10/05/magomed-ankalaev-vs-alex-pereira-2-ufc-320-result-stunning-ko-sees-title-reclaimed-by-fan-favorite/).
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But here's where it gets controversial... Carlos Ulberg wasn't impressed with how Jiri Prochazka carried himself during the Magomed Ankalaev vs Alex Pereira rematch
Sure, Prochazka's deeply emotional response to witnessing Pereira's knockout victory (https://bloodyelbow.com/2025/10/05/jiri-prochazka-cried-tears-of-joy-watching-rival-alex-pereira-regain-title-at-ufc-320/) at UFC 320 spread like wildfire across social media. However, his behavior during the actual fight didn't go unnoticed by another elite light heavyweight who happened to be in attendance that night.
Carlos Ulberg was also seated cageside in Las Vegas, having just made his own powerful statement the previous weekend. 'Black Jag' had secured a knockout victory over Dominick Reyes in Perth, effectively throwing his hat into the ring for the next championship opportunity.
During his recent sit-down on The Ariel Helwani Show, Ulberg didn't mince words when discussing Prochazka's ringside etiquette following his impressive win earlier in the evening.
"The timing of Jiri walking in right after such a dominant performance was already somewhat unusual, but I wasn't going to make a big deal out of that," Ulberg explained.
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"What really caught my attention was how he positioned himself directly in front of the cage, essentially obstructing the view for many of us who were also there to watch. When the main event fighters were making their walkouts—which is obviously a crucial moment for their mental preparation—he just planted himself right there in their path.
"These athletes need their space to get into the zone and concentrate on the task at hand," he elaborated further. "But Jiri seemed determined to position himself front and center, right in their line of sight."
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And this is the part most people miss... Jiri Prochazka came dangerously close to confronting Magomed Ankalaev before UFC 320 even started
Prochazka has never been one to hide his feelings, and his raw emotional display following the UFC 320 (https://bloodyelbow.com/tag/ufc-320/) main event proved that once again. But what many don't realize is that he nearly had a completely different kind of emotional explosion before the fights even began.
In the buildup to the latest numbered UFC event, Ankalaev had been firing verbal shots not just at Pereira, but at multiple fighters in the division. The Dagestani contender's trash talk campaign extended well beyond 'Poatan' in the weeks and months preceding their showdown.
Having found himself on the receiving end of some of Ankalaev's harsh criticisms, Prochazka admitted he was ready to address the situation face-to-face at UFC 320 (https://bloodyelbow.com/2025/10/07/jiri-prochazka-reveals-one-man-stopped-him-from-confronting-magomed-ankalaev-before-ufc-320/). During his own appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpqG8v8IYok), the former Czech champion disclosed that only his coach's intervention prevented a potential confrontation.
"Leading up to my bout with Rountree Jr., I had every intention of tracking down either his manager Ali Abdelaziz or Ankalaev himself to demand answers," Prochazka revealed. "I wanted to look him in the eye and ask, 'What was the point of all that? Why did you feel the need to say those things? I never came at you with any disrespect, so what justified you talking all that nonsense?'
"But my coach pulled me aside and said, 'Jiri, you need to settle down. Your opponent right now is Khalil Rountree—that's where your attention needs to be. You can't afford to let anyone else occupy space in your head.'
"I listened to his advice and stayed focused on my own fight. Looking back, I'm genuinely glad I made that choice. Allowing myself to get distracted by other people before a fight just isn't my style," he concluded.
So here's the question that's dividing fans: Was Prochazka simply showing passion and confidence by making his presence felt cageside, or did he cross a line by potentially disrupting other fighters' focus and space? Is this the kind of psychological warfare that's fair game in MMA, or should there be more respect for fighters preparing for their moments? Drop your thoughts in the comments—do you side with Ulberg's criticism, or do you think Prochazka was just being himself and there's nothing wrong with that?
