Possible stage for future UFC Brasil / Publicity photo
Rio de Janeiro won’t be the only Brazilian state with the privilege of hosting a UFC show. This Tuesday it was announced that the Sambódromo venue in the city of Manaus will be the stage for the August 2012 UFC event. Omar Aziz, Amazonas state governor, and UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta made the announcement shortly after holding a meeting together, according to Junior Samurai.
The venue has a 100,000-spectator capacity, which would allow for the possibility of breaking the attendance record set in Toronto, Canada, where over 55,000 spectators attended UFC 129 in April.
“Imagine all those people from around the world getting to see Manaus and the state of Amazonas. That would produce a major legacy for our city,” said Governor Aziz. The force of MMA in the state of Amazonas has been on display since 2003, when Wallid Ismail set up the maiden Jungle Fight event in the state. Now – Who’d have thought? – it’s the UFC’s turn.
