UFC planning 13 events 'to build huge stars' in Brazil in 2014

RIO DE JANEIRO – The UFC will visit Brazil seven times in 2013, trips that will bring the count to 10 for the promotion’s events in the South American country.

But next year, look out, Brazil. UFC President Dana White on Sunday said the company is planning a baker’s dozen of trips to Brazil for 2014 – an average of one visit every four weeks.

“Thirteen – we’ll do 13 next year, and not only continue to grow this market, but create more talent here,” White told a small group of reporters in Rio de Janeiro.

White was in Rio along with new middleweight champion Chris Weidman and national MMA hero Anderson Silva to promote the fighters’ rematch at UFC 168, which takes place Dec. 28 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, where Silva will try to recapture the title he held for years.

White maintains the Brazilian MMA base has much more to offer than Silva and other elite superstars, and that, along with the UFC’s TV deals in the market, are behind the decision to nearly double the events in Brazil from 2013's slate.

“There’s just so much talent in Brazil,” White said. “The fact that we have the opportunity now, with the backing of Globo and Combat TV and all the other great networks that are down here, to be able to showcase this great talent, hold these events, and not just here, but beam it all across the world, it’s so huge for this country. It’s so huge for the athletes down here.”

The UFC has had a good history of recent champions from Brazil. Silva, of course, held the middleweight title for nearly seven years. Currently, Jose Aldo is champ at featherweight, and teammate Renan Barao is the interim bantamweight titleholder. Junior dos Santos held and defended the heavyweight title, and challenges current champ Cain Velasquez for the belt in a rematch in less than three weeks. Other Brazilian champs have included Lyoto Machida and Mauricio Rua.

White’s hope is that more events in Brazil, and exposing more Brazilian fighters to the public, will help make fan favorites out of a new crop of athletes.

“We’re going to build huge stars down here and continue to grow the stars that are down here, guys like Jose Aldo, guys like Renan Barao, and this talent the rest of the world needs to see and appreciate more,” White said.

The UFC first visited Brazil nearly 15 years ago in the pre-Zuffa era, but didn’t return until UFC 134 in August 2011, when Silva beat Yushin Okami.

Since then, the promotion has held pay-per-views there (UFC 142, UFC 147, UFC 153, UFC 163), as well as free TV events starting this year on FX and FUEL TV. Next week, the UFC visits Barueri, Brazil, for the first time with UFC Fight Night 29 on Oct. 9, featuring home country favorite Demian Maia against Jake Shields. And in November, it makes its first trip to Goiania for UFC Fight Night 31 with a clash between Brazil’s Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson.

None of the 13 planned cards for 2014 have been formally announced by the UFC.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.