Fighting is a rough business, but veteran MMA coach Ray Longo tries to minimize risks in the gym.

When a fighter gets too banged up, he has “the talk” with them.

Such was the case with UFC veteran Pete Sell (10-6 MMA, 2-5 UFC), who suffered knockout losses in four of his final eight fights. Sell retired in 2012.

“‘Drago’ would fight you tomorrow,” Longo told MMAjunkie Radio. “He wants to fight. That’s what he loves to do. But we’re just not having it.”

Longo said his longtime charge Chris Weidman (14-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) hasn’t taken too many major hits during his decorated career in the UFC. But he’s watching.

“We do a lot of concussion testing in the gym with some newer technology stuff,” Longo said. “It’s a hot topic, and we’re definitely not turning a blind eye to it. I believe we’re on top of it.”

The gym is one of the last lines of defense when it comes to resting concussed fighters. Although state athletic commissions issue suspensions to those who’ve been through knockouts or tough fights, enforcement of no-contact orders is not realistic for a sport that’s so geographically spread out.

In reality, there’s little to stop a fighter who wants to jump back into sparring after a knockout, other than professional colleagues.

Longo said he used to be a “wild man” when he was a young martial-arts practitioner. But now, he sometimes keeps students benched for up to one month if they’ve been concussed in sparring.

“Both (Aljamain Sterling) and Chris, I pulled back on their sparring for (their respective fights at UFC 214 and UFC on FOX 25),” he said. “I don’t think you can ever be too cautious, but this is the sport they choose, and they are going to get hit.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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