Coach Ray Longo puzzled by hatred after Aljamain Sterling's UFC 259 title win: 'I don't make the f*cking rules'

When Ray Longo rolled out of bed, he grabbed his phone and took a look. The first notification he said he saw was a message from someone he didn’t know.

“You’re a piece of sh*t,” it read.

“Like, what the f*ck? They don’t stop,” Longo told MMA Junkie Radio on Monday. “Does that make you feel better? I don’t even know. This stuff is really crazy. I’ve never once got on social media and said anything negative. I don’t know why. I don’t know. There must be a lot of miserable people out there. I don’t even want to think about it.”

Longo served as head coach in the corner of UFC 259 title challenger Aljamain Sterling, who won the bantamweight title by disqualification when Petr Yan landed an illegal knee deemed intentional by referee Mark Smith. Despite Sterling (20-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) indicating he wanted to continue, the fight was stopped.

After the fight, the hateful messages poured in. Even UFC fighters T.J. Dillashaw, Darren Till and Henry Cejudo (who has since apologized) posted negative comments about Sterling. Everything from accusations of faking injury to insults about his skills were included in the onslaught. Longo has been caught in the crossfire ever since.

“Even though Aljo won the belt, it’s almost like it cursed him,” Longo said. “Guys, the amount of hate that I’m getting is insane. Like, I don’t make the f*cking rules. What are you yelling at me for? This is insanity. I’ve been around a long time. I’ve never experienced this ever. This is pure hatred. For what? I have no clue. It’s a f*cking sport and there are rules.

“If anything, I’d really love to hear from Yan what would possess him. You were winning the fight at that point. Why would you do that? It wasn’t in the heat of the battle. It’s just nuts, man. I’ll just tell you: This social media sh*t is out of control.”

For anyone who’s accused Sterling of faking the damage he sustained as a result of the blow, Longo is quick to dispel that notion. He saw the state his fighter was in after the fight.

“People that think this kid was faking it, they’re mentally deficient in a lot of areas because when I left him he was throwing up at the house,” Longo said. “By the time I left, he (had gone) to bed. I guess they cleared him on the CT scan. He’s back from the hospital. That was a vicious shot. It was blatant. Why that guy would’ve (done) it, being the champion, it’s not even a valid excuse: Do I know the rules or do I not know the rules?”

To Longo, words are simply that: just words. However, the veteran MMA coach hopes Sterling can have that same mindset. The flood of hatred and negativity is not for the faint of heart.

“Listen, I hope (Sterling) can compartmentalize this,” Longo said. “The sh*t he’s getting thrown at him, if he’s a sensitive cat, he’s f*cking in trouble. I’m telling you the sh*t I got. I’ll never respond to anything. And I mean this from the bottom of my heart: I couldn’t care less what anybody says. It’s almost comical, to me, at this point. I think the first time I woke up, I just rolled over and looked at my phone: ‘You’re a piece of sh*t.’