UFC veteran Philippou wants more businesses open amid pandemic
Former UFC middleweight Costas Philippou transitioned to a law enforcement career in 2015, and he says things have finally begun to settle in his new role amid the pandemic.
"This month is OK, last month it was a little more challenging," Philippou told theScore. "Everybody was kind of freaking out, they didn’t know yet what this disease was all about. And a lot of people overreacted, and masks and gloves and don’t do this and don’t do that. It was more annoying than anything else. ... They’re more comfortable now. Yes, they keep their distance and everything. But they aren’t freaking out as much as last month."
Philippou (13-5, NC) went 6-4 during his UFC tenure while fighting the likes of former champion Luke Rockhold, Lorenz Larkin, and Gegard Mousasi.
The 40-year-old works in New York, one of the epicenters of the virus. While Philippou understands the risks associated with the coronavirus, he wants to see more businesses start to reopen.
"I understand some people are in higher risk and they have to stay confined, that’s fine," Philippou said. "But you can’t violate 99% of the population and violate everybody’s right and keep everybody locked in because the 1% are in danger."
"I’m not saying open everything up immediately," he continued. "But they've got to figure out some kind of measures to allow them to at least make some of the money (back) so they can start getting back to normal. Because people are rebelling.
"You see now what’s going on out there. They’re making it hard for law enforcement, too. They are arresting people for not wearing masks and not social distancing, it’s crazy. If somebody wants to go to the park, it should be legal. But we go to Walmart and we pile each other in the supermarket."
The former Ring of Combat champion believes that if some business don't start opening up soon, the unemployment rate will skyrocket even more.
"I think we should start opening some of the businesses and start the economy going, because yeah we’re going to survive, but we’re going to lose everything," he added.
Watch the full video interview with Philippou below (48:12) mark, and subscribe to theScoreMMA YouTube channel here.