It was a raucous crowd in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Saturday night for UFC Fight Night 119: Brunson vs. Machida, particularly when Colby Covington was in view.
Though the event has largely been overshadowed by next week’s return of Georges St-Pierre at UFC 217 at Madison Square Garden, a sellout crowd is never a bad showing.
“The attendance (tonight) was 10,265 for a sellout here in Sao Paulo, our third sellout of 2017,” said UFC Senior Vice President David Shaw.
The fight card was stacked with Brazilian’s, who were largely successful on Saturday, but the biggest draw was at the top end with the return of Lyoto Machida.
It wasn’t the comeback that Machida or his fans had hoped for after a two-year layoff, as Derek Brunson knocked him out inside the first half of the opening round.
Things didn’t go much better for Brazil in the co-main event, as Covington, who did nothing this week to adore himself to fans, got the better of Brazilian Demian Maia in a bloody battle that went the distance before Covington derided Brazil and its fans.
