UFC’s Return to Brazil Could Be The Biggest in History

"The Footercut"

UFC’s trip back to Brazil could be a huge one

The UFC is indeed planning a return trip to Brazil for 2012, and it could go down as the biggest live audience for an MMA event in history.

UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta told Brazilian officials on Tuesday that the company is planning a show in Manaus, a city of over 2 million residents. The show could take place at the Convention Center of Manaus, also known as the Sambadrome.

The Sambadrome is a 700-meter stretch of a former street named Marquês de Sapucaí that has been converted to a permanent parade ground. The event center is capable of holding an audience up to 100,000 people and is used for holding large concerts and festivals.

If held, the event would likely shatter all audience records for mixed martial arts. The North American record was set months ago at UFC 129, where 55,724 people attended. The world record for an MMA event is held by PRIDE Shockwave 2002, where 91,107 people purchased tickets to watch the show in the heyday of the PRIDE years.