Montanha and Job (left) deliver the autographed ball to INCA. Photo: Disclosure
Shortly after winning the challenge from the The Ultimate Fighter in a football competition, you saw it here on SUPER FIGHTS which Chael Sonnen He also scored a great goal off the pitch. The North American donated the ball used in the dispute, autographed by the entire TUF Brasil 3 cast, to their fan club in Brazil and demanded that the gift be passed on to an institution, in order to contribute to social causes. This Wednesday (14), the ball was handed over to the National Cancer Institute (INCA), in Rio de Janeiro (RJ). Present on the occasion were TUF participants Cabo Job (Team Sonnen) and Montanha (Team Wanderlei). In addition to the duo, Luciana Tavares, president of “FC Chael Sonnen Brazil”, also represented the fighter’s fan club.
In an exclusive interview to SUPER FIGHTS, Luciana told how the ball was handed over to INCA. “Without a doubt, it was a moment of great joy. There was recognition from children towards the fighters, and also their mothers. Everyone welcomed Job and Montanha's visit with great enthusiasm and wanted to take photos with them”, said the president of the fan club, who praised the fighters' attitude during the visit. “The boys (Job and Montanha) were very attentive and extremely affectionate with everyone who was there: employees, patients, family members, etc. They showed the true meaning of fighting as a sport and were very kind,” she added.
Luciana also revealed her surprise at the integration established with the institution. “I have to highlight the opening speech of the director, Dr. Santini, who drew a parallel between INCA and MMA. According to him, both are targets of prejudice and require similar behaviors: discipline, balanced diet, distancing from vices and, above all, courage. Furthermore, he highlighted that prevention is always the best medicine against diseases and sport is a great ally – in this case, mixed martial arts”, he pondered. The proceeds from the ball donated to INCA will be donated entirely to the hospital's children's department. The institution has not yet decided whether it will sell the item directly or whether it will hold an auction.
In addition, of course, to helping in the treatment of children cared for by INCA, the action of Chael Sonnen seems to have had positive effects on its image. “We talked to people at the institution and fans of Sonnen's victory in the reality show and also in the fight against Wanderlei Silva it was almost unanimous”, reported Luciana, without hiding her satisfaction. On May 25th, the exhibition of the The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 on Brazilian TV, with the presence of four athletes from Chael's team among the semi-finalists. On July 5th, the North American finally faces his rival Wanderlei Silva, at UFC 175, in Las Vegas (USA). Above all, outside the Octagon, in terms of solidarity, Sonnen has already won the belt.
Check out the gallery of images from the delivery of the autographed ball donated by Sonnen to INCA below:
[album: http://www.superlutas.com.br/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/Delivery of the autographed ball donated by Chael Sonnen to INCA/]
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