Ray Longo is doing the best he can in New York to get by as a world-class MMA coach while also following the government’s recommended safety guidelines during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Longo lives in Nassau County and trains many high-level UFC fighters in the area, including former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, who’s scheduled to headline UFC Oklahoma City on May 2.
With social distancing guidelines in place and the closing of non-essential businesses in the state, which includes gyms, Longo is having tough time preparing Weidman for his drop back to 185 pounds to face Jack Hermansson.
“He’s trying, yeah, definitely, but he’s got to do it at his house,” Longo told MMA Junkie. “I really wish the UFC would’ve just come out and canceled a couple of shows because I don’t like to see these guys go in compromised, you know what I mean? They’re definitely not getting near a normal training camp. I even have Matt Frevola; he thinks he’s fighting on April 26, which I just don’t see it’s a possibility.”
New York’s death toll due to coronavirus has surpassed 3,500, and the state’s total cases number well over 100,000.
With the conditions of the community, Longo has been forced to train Weidman through FaceTime, as their gym is currently closed. He also doesn’t want contact with any of his fighters in fear of potentially spreading or getting the virus due to it’s asymptomatic characteristics.
“I don’t even trust myself,” Longo said. “The last thing I want to do, I would hate to pass something to someone else, to somebody that couldn’t deal with it properly. That would be a bad thing for me. I would regret that more than anything in the world. That’s why you have to do it by FaceTime.”
Almost all major sports organizations have postponed their seasons and events due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. Yet, the UFC has continued to attempt to keep their annual schedule intact by trying to relocate events and take fights where they’re not affected by state bans on sporting events and public gatherings.
With Frevola scheduled to fight at UFC Lincoln later this month, Longo is allowing the lightweight to access the gym but admits he’s split about letting his fighter continue to train.
“I let him get in the gym, which I probably shouldn’t be doing,” Longo said. “It’s just him and another guy sparring, but it puts everybody in an awkward position because I really don’t want to do it, but then again, I want to see the kid get his work in. So it just kind of sucks, man.
“If you’re from New York, I don’t know how everybody else is dealing with it, but I got to tell you, New York is a (expletive) show. You’re staring to hear, it was like six degrees of separation, but now we’re two degrees away from people that we know that are dying and just the people that are losing (someone) saying goodbye on a walkie-talkie outside the hospital. It’s horrible.
“The stories are starting to pour in. I think the other day we lost 1,000 people in New York, and they say we’re not even close to the peak yet. So it’s hard to focus on something that’s more of an enjoyment to you, but this is real life. It’s not a joke, and it’s hard to get past all that. My point to Matt Frevola was, ‘Look, man. I think you should chill because you still live with your father. He’s like my age, and you can get that guy in a lot of trouble if things go south.’
“So everybody is in a weird position. I really wish they (UFC) would just call and say, ‘Hey, you’re not fighting for a couple of weeks,’ at least the guys in New York. ‘Guys, chill out. I know what you’re going through. We’ll get you fights in June, July, but right now chill out.’ It’s hard to abide by what everyone is telling us to do and stay in the house when guys think they’re still fighting and trying to get camps in.”
Ray Longo wants UFC to cancel upcoming events: Fighters 'not getting near a normal training camp'
