The official weigh-ins for UFC 134 went off without any fireworks between fighters, though the rabid fans in attendance did not hesitate to pick up the slack at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, where Saturday’s fights will take place.
According to MMAjunkie.com, the local crowd cheered wildly in support of Anderson Silva, Mauricio Rua and the rest of their Brazilian countrymen, of whom there are 14 out of 24 total fighters participating in the event’s 12 bouts.
As for the visitors, well, the fans were not exactly kind, to say the least. For international fighters like America’s Forrest Griffin and Japan’s Yushin Okami, the attendant fans had only words of disdain, going so far as to shout out “Vai morrer!”
Which, for those not well versed in Portuguese, means “You are going to die!”
Luckily for the fighters, no one from the crowd attempted to act out on those threats, though they may not be so lucky once they step into the Octagon tomorrow. Brazilians will be favored in just about all of the 11 bouts in which they will be taking part, including, of course, the three fights wherein both competitors are from the home country.
The warning is particularly foreboding for Okami and Griffin. Okami will be looking to snatch the UFC Middleweight Championship belt from Silva, though “The Spider”, arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in all of mixed martial arts, will be out to avenge his defeat to Okami, the most recent of his career, by disqualification at Rumble on the Rock nearly five years ago.
Likewise, Griffin will have some difficulty defeating “Shogun” again, with Rua once again the heavy favorite thanks to his superior technique, talent and striking ability.
So while no one is likely to die in the Octagon on Saturday, as fans in Brazil seem to think, there will be plenty of walking wounded and bruised egos among the international crop once all is said and done on Saturday night.