After the Rafael dos Anjos fight was moved from Brazil to Chicago, many believed that it was for security reasons, with Colby Covington being a marked man after his incendiary comments about the country following his victory over Demian Maia at UFC Fight Night 119. Rafael dos Anjos seemed to believe so, as stated in the UFC 225 media lunch scrum:
“I think it was because of security issues, “dos Anjos told reporters. “The problem is, when Colby fought Demian, that was in São Paulo. Rio, it’s a different story. I don’t know if you guys have been to Rio. Rio is rough. People are more wild. São Paulo, people are different. But Rio is a different level. Especially me being a Brazilian from Rio, I think it would be too much.”
Covington scoffed at this, concluding that the Brazilians did not deserve his presence anyway:
“At first, I was disappointed. I really wanted to cement my legacy and let the Brazilians know who their daddy was,” Covington said. “I am the king of Brazil so I felt like owed it to them to go back and finish off their last legend.
“Then, I started thinking about it. And those filthy animals don’t deserve to have me there and see my greatness. At the end of the day, I’m excited to be on American soil.”
Appearing on UFC Unfiltered Tuesday morning, Dana White confirmed that safety concerns was indeed the reason the fight was moved:
“Obviously, that’s a great fight for Brazil, so we had it all set up. Then, we started second-guessing ourselves. And security was super nervous about it. You look at what happened to our employees down there last time we went, we felt it was a really good idea to move it.”
Brazil or Chicago, either way, this interim title fight is one of the most anticipated bouts of the month, with the winner earning the right to challenge Tyron Woodley for the undisputed welterweight championship.
Do you agree with the UFC’s decision to book this fight for Chicago instead of Brazil?
