The best and worst from UFC Fight Night 125

#3 Best – Brazil delivers again

UFC events in Brazil almost always deliver a hot crowd and good action

Counting last night’s show, the UFC has now been to Brazil 30 times since they first returned there in 2011, and seemingly every time they’re there – with the exception of one or two shows – it seems like the fighters manage to deliver in spades when it comes to excitement inside the cage. This may have something to do with the UFC tending to book some squash matches in favour of local fighters on these Brazilian cards, but to put it quite simply, UFC shows in Brazil are just plain fun.

The crowds are far more into the shows than when the UFC books shows in the US – especially for the undercard fights – and the chants in Portuguese of “you’re gonna die!” are simply deafening when it comes to a Brazilian fighter against a foreign one, particularly for popular Brazilians like Lyoto Machida and Thiago Santos. And that seems to trigger more aggression in the fighters, which only makes for better action.

Last night was the UFC’s first show in Belem in the state of Para, but the beauty of Brazil is that it’s such a huge country that there are plenty of other big cities the UFC has yet to visit. Shows in Manaus, Salvador and Recife are simply musts for the UFC to tick off at some point in the future, and with the constant flow of Brazilian fighters heading into the UFC, it seems like hot crowds in the South American country are practically a guarantee every time they visit.