Brazilian fans: ‘You’re going to die’
At UFC 134, Brazilian fans saw their countrymen shut out the world, winning every fight. The home court advantage is…
At UFC 134, Brazilian fans saw their countrymen shut out the world, winning every fight. The home court advantage is understood in every sport, but had to magnified by tens of thousands of fans shouting things like “You’re going to die.”
“Vai morrer! Vai morrer!” the crowd chanted at American fighters like Dan Miller, Brendan Schaub, and Forrest Griffin. Translation: You’re going to die.
Say what you will about this crowd’s sensitivity, but you can’t knock their passion.
As Griffin put it at Thursday’s press conference when it was suggested that he, Schaub, and Yushin Okami would have the entire world against them on Saturday night: “It’s not the whole world; it’s just Brazil.”
But for many of the Brazilian fighters, facing off against a series of foreigners in their own backyard in the first UFC event in Rio is a little like taking on the rest of the world, or at least taking on the responsibility for an entire nation, as Anderson Silva explained.
“It’s like Brazil vs. Argentina in Macarana Stadium,” he said, putting it in soccer terms any Brazilian would understand. As he added later, “A lot of idols come and go, but we’re fighting to reach our place.”
