MMA returns to roots for UFC 134

The organization that has become synonymous with mixed martial arts is finally returning to the nation where the sport was born.

Tonight's UFC 134 card in Rio de Janeiro will be just the second Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Brazil and the first since 1998, well before the current ownership took over.

Three of the sport's biggest stars -- Anderson Silva, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira -- will have the opportunity to fight in a major MMA event in their home country for the first time.

"I've fought all over the world, not just in UFC but other events. I feel that all this hard work and everything that I've done has kind of all led up to this moment," said Silva, the middleweight champion who will defend his belt against Yushin Okami.

Brazil is the birthplace of vale tudo, a violent, no-holds-barred fighting competition that was brought to the United States by the Gracie family and eventually evolved into modern MMA.

Rorion Gracie was instrumental in the UFC's formation, and Royce Gracie became the organization's first superstar after using his superior Brazilian jiujitsu skills to win tournaments at UFC 1, UFC 2 and UFC 4 against much bigger opponents, before many of the rules of modern-day MMA were implemented.

Still, it has taken awhile for Brazil to embrace the sport.

"I always liked fighting, but unfortunately when I was a kid there was a lot of prejudice toward fighting in Brazil, vale tudo and MMA," said Rua, a former light heavyweight champion who will fight Las Vegan Forrest Griffin. "People didn't really understand it, and to see it be understood and really growing to the point where we are now where we can say we are at the top of the game, really reaching mainstream here is a great feeling.

"It really means a lot to all of us to see the UFC come here. It's pretty much the pinnacle of all of that."

It's not expected to be a one-time stop. UFC president Dana White said the company underestimated the demand for tickets when it decided to stage the event at a 15,000-seat arena. It sold out in less than two hours, and White said about 350,000 people were trying to buy tickets online.

White expects the organization to quickly turn Brazil into a regular stop and a major UFC market.

"There's no doubt about it: Brazil will be a zillion times easier than the U.K. and Europe has been," he said. "I think their economy is like the fifth largest in the world or projected to be very soon. Things are booming, and there's so many talented guys that come out of here, not just talented guys, literally icons of the sport come from Brazil."

None is better or more popular than Silva, who is on a 14-fight winning streak and has a UFC-record eight consecutive successful title defenses.

His last setback came to Okami in 2006, but it was as a result of a controversial disqualification.

Silva doesn't consider the fight a loss but looks forward to settling the score.

He is more excited to fight in his home country for the first time since 2003.

"I'm happy that the UFC is coming to Rio," he said. "It's a great opportunity. I'm very excited, and I'm very motivated to fight in Brazil."

So is Nogueira, a former heavyweight champion, though he's probably happy to be fighting anywhere. The 35-year-old has been out of action for more than 18 months after undergoing surgery on both knees and both hips.

He returns to meet former NFL player Brendan Schaub, who has rolled through four opponents since losing "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 10 championship bout to Roy Nelson.

The pay-per-view portion of the card, which also features a lightweight bout between Ross Pearson and Edson Barboza and a light heavyweight fight pitting Stanislav Nedkov against Luiz Cane, airs live at 6 p.m.

At least two fights will be shown live on Spike TV (Cable 29) at 5.

The remainder of the 12-bout card will stream on the UFC's Facebook page.

All but one bout includes at least one Brazilian fighter.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.