UFC Fight Night 36's Lyoto Machida comments on recent MMA murders in Brazil

A pair of killings in the Brazilian city of Natal have shaken the MMA community. Over two days, fighters Luiz de Franca and Guilherme Matos Rodrigues have been gunned down in the coastal city, which next month hosts UFC Fight Night 38.

In advance of his headlining fight Saturday with Gegard Mousasi at UFC Fight Night 36, Lyoto Machida was asked for his thoughts on the crimes, which remain unsolved and reportedly were labeled as “honor killings” by authorities.

“I think people need to understand (the situation),” Machida (20-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC), who faces Mousasi (34-3-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil, told MMAjunkie Radio. “There’s a big difference between our sport and violence. We’re in a combat sport, but it’s really about maintaining your health and learning something new and evolving as an athlete and a person.

“There’s no point in making things up, and violence isn’t the answer.”

Machida, who’s now in the running for a middleweight title shot after fighting the bulk of his career at light heavyweight, was introduced to the martial arts by his father, who taught him karate. The ex-UFC champ’s calm and stoic demeanor is a stark contrast to some of the bombast of other MMA fighters.

But in Natal, practitioners of the sport appear to be in danger, regardless of their disposition. Franca allegedly was gunned down by a former student at a Nova Uniao affiliate while Rodrigues was shot by a pair of assailants while he was at a juice shop in the city.

The shootings have angered a longtime training partner of Rodrigues, Bellator tournament champ Patricio Freire.

“Brazil is in the hands of the criminals,” Freire told MMAjunkie. “Here, even policemen are thugs, so you can’t trust anyone. All politicians are corrupt.

“Our city, Natal, is beautiful, but unfortunately, these crimes aren’t rare. Every day two or three people die here. In America, if a handful of people die, the President might discuss it publicly. In Brazil, not even at the mayoral level will you see anyone talk about it. People die today, tomorrow and on the day after tomorrow, and nothing changes.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 36, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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