Promoter Tatá Duarte. Photo: Carlos Ozório.
This Saturday the third installment of Brasil Fight MMA took place at Chevrolet Hall in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. At the gymnasium, unbeknownst to the promoters, members of Atletico Mineiro soccer fan club were in attendance to watch a fight featuring a member of the club. Later on outside the gymnasium these fans had an altercation with their rivals who support Cruzeiro club, making news across the state of Minas Gerais. Brasil Fight promoter Tatá Duarte exempts the event from any relationship to the fan clubs. Neverthless, he promises stern measures will be taken to dispel any supposed relationship between MMA and fan wars.
“The event went perfectly, was a success. Unfortunately, there was this lamentable occurrence outside the gymnasium. We found out afterwards that there were members of Atletico fan club at the event. There was no way to identify them, as they were not wearing team colors. Indeed, we forbid people wearing soccer team colors from entering the gymnasium.
“I guaranteed security within Chevrolet Hall, even upped the number of security guards for this latest installment. We hadn’t had tumult of any kind throughout the three events. What happened was that members of this faction encountered members of the opposing Cruzeiro fan club outside the gymnasium. In other words, it happened at an area for which we are not responsible,” he adds.
“This rivalry between fans of opposing soccer teams has been around for dozens of years. I just hope no injustice is perpetrated by linking what happened to MMA events, which have nothing to do with soccer. What we’re going to do from here on out is to prohibit fighters linked to organized soccer fan clubs from being on the cards of Brasil Fight MMA events. When we sign a fighter, we will verify that neither he nor his academy have any such links. The fight is in the ring. Now we’ll have to stay alert to problems arising from other sports,” he says in closing.