“At a lot of these bigger gyms, guys are already made coming there, and then it’s just like a hub for top fighters,” Buzukja said. “Serra-Longo is just the neighborhood guys who f—— work hard, know how to fight, are strong-minded, and we grind together to the top.”
So how is this team so successful? How does this gym comprised of “neighborhood guys” continuously put out top-tier UFC talent?
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Well, one could point to an advanced sense of camaraderie and togetherness within the team, and an extreme desire to see each other grow. There’s no selfishness on the Serra-Longo fight team. When one fighter succeeds, they’re immediately back in the gym to help their teammates win.
“We’re always there for each other. After my last fight I got right back in the gym, and I got right back into camp to help (Matt) Frevola for his fight. Naz (Nazim Sadykhov) won his fight, and he came back to help Frevola, too,” Dennis said. “Same thing with Aljo. After he beat TJ Dillashaw, he came back that Monday to work with me for my fight.”
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The culture is set in Long Island. You support your teammates constantly, and Dennis believes this culture pays off in the fights themselves.
“We’re just always there for each other,” he said. “We have a strong support system and a strong backing, and that gives us that extra little gear in the cage that a lot of these fighters don’t have.”
