Dana White is kicking himself a little bit.
When 350,000 people got online to purchase tickets for UFC 134 at the 14,000-seat HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, it was clear the UFC had underestimated demand.
Needless to say, the Brazilian event sold out in short time.
"We probably could have done a little bigger arena, but we played it safe the first time down here," White said today. "But this is a big deal, we're excited about it, and we're pumped about this card."
Headlined by a middleweight title bout between reigning champion Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami, UFC 134 is the promotion's first event in Brazil in 13 years. Its sole foray into South America came on Oct. 16, 1998, for "UFC Ultimate Brazil," which took place at Ginasio da Portuguesa in Sao Paulo.
Of course, the sport of the late 1990s is nothing like that of today, nor is the UFC's popularity.
Silva's headlining bout at UFC 126 with countryman Vitor Belfort reportedly brought bars to a halt when the fight aired in the middle of the night in Brazil.
Now headed back to what's widely considered to be the birthplace of MMA, White said the UFC plans to hold more events in cities across Brazil, and UFC 134 is an important first step in establishing a foothold.
"Obviously, Brazil has exploded in popularity for mixed martial arts and the UFC, and the guys we have fighting in the UFC and on this card are icons in the sports world down there," he said. "So yeah, it's a big deal."
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, who co-headlines UFC 134 on Aug. 27, spoke about the change in attitudes toward MMA.
"I always have been connected to sports when I was a kid ... including fighting, and (I) always followed MMA, which was vale tudo back in those days," he said through translator Eduardo Alonso. "I loved to watch fighting movies; I like (Jean-Claude) Van-Damme and even action movies like 'Rambo.'
"Unfortunately, when I was a kid, there was a lot of prejudice toward fighting in Brazil, and vale tudo and MMA, people didn't understand it. And to see it be understood and really growing to the point where we are now, where we can say we are at the top of the game reaching (the) mainstream, it's a really great feeling.
"It means a lot to all of us, and to see the UFC come here, it's pretty much the pinnacle of all that."
Champ Silva noted the long history of Brazilian vale-tudo (or "anything-goes") fighters. His fight with Okami is the ninth defense of his title in what's been a record-breaking career in the sport.
"It's a great opportunity for MMA in Brazil," he said. "I'm very excited."
And if demand for UFC 134 is any indication of the country's appetite for MMA, a stadium-type show can't be far away.
MMAJunkie.com