For Marshall Zelaznik (photo), Brazilians like to watch international athletes fight. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube
To date, all editions of the UFC under the command of Zuffa (a company owned by brothers Fertitta and Dana White) in Brazil had a Brazilian athlete in the main fight. But in the opinion of UFC's director of international development, Marshall Zelaznik, this organization's policy could soon change.
“I think we can come here with an important challenger of any nationality, from any country. Brazilians know (MMA). Yes, they love their compatriots, but they react so positively… Even though they boo, they like to see the international, non-Brazilian fighters coming. Think about Michael Bisping, when he came. People showed up for him. If we had, for example, a fight between Michael Bisping based on their position in the middleweight division, I think the Brazilians would attend”, said the director after UFC Rio 4, last Saturday (3).
Zelaznik also compared the Brazilian audience to the North American one. “Although we are feeding Brazilians with many main events including Brazilians, I don't think it is a necessity for us. I think we could come here with any card and it would sell well. This is a hungry and knowledgeable audience, no different than what we have in the US. There, we will see two Brazilians fighting for the title or whatever, they will come. And Brazilians are the same. They want to see their compatriots, but I think that, for sure, in the future, we will see two non-Brazilians in a main event”, he concluded.
This year, Ultimate arrives in Brazil three more times: on September 4th in Belo Horizonte (MG), with Glover Teixeira e Ryan bader as the main fight; on October 9th, fight night speculated to take place in Barueri (SP); and on November 9, in the city of Goiânia (GO). With the exception of the event in the capital of Minas Gerais, which already has a closed card, the others have not yet had fights officially announced.
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