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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
For the first time in 13 years, the UFC may be returning to Brazil in 2011, according to a report from GracieMag.com.
While the sport is filled with Brazilian fighters at the highest levels, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu remains one of the dominant disciplines in the sport, the UFC has not run an event there since before regulation of MMA began.
The first and only time the UFC went to the country was on October 16, 1998, for UFC: Ultimate Brazil, an event that featured a bout between Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, as well as the first UFC appearance of Pedro Rizzo.
Now, according to the GracieMag.com report, the UFC will head to Rio de Janeiro's HSBC Arena in November of 2011.
Penick's Analysis: UFC President Dana White stated earlier this summer that the UFC was looking to make a return to Brazil, and so this news doesn't come as a surprise. It's really strange that Brazil still doesn't have that much of an MMA scene considering the amount of really high level fighters that come from the country, but it will be a very good thing for the UFC to get back down there and to continue their global branching out process.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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