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A scary situation took place this week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ahead of UFC 224, according to UFC president Dana White. While the Ultimate Fighting Championship was preparing for this weekend’s pay-per-view at Jeunesse Arena, a group of UFC employees and others were reportedly robbed at gunpoint. Per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the armed robbery led to employees losing their passports, credit cards, and other valuables.
“Just spoke to UFC president Dana White about an incident that is apparently ongoing right now in Brazil. White was just told several employees and others associated with UFC 224 were held up at gunpoint near the host hotel in Rio. No one hurt. Police involved now,” Okamoto wrote on Twitter.
He continued, “Some UFC employees definitely involved. Have not heard of any fighters involved as of right now (weigh-in is tomorrow morning). Those affected are canceling stolen passports and credit cards. White told me security footage is being pulled. My thoughts are with all UFC staff and anyone else affected by the incident in Brazil tonight. Away from their families, there to do a job. The few details I’ve gathered are scary. Armed robbery on the beach, near hotel.”
UFC 224 takes place Saturday night.
In the main event, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes is set to defend her title against Raquel Pennington. The co-main event features a middleweight bout between top contender Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Kelvin Gastelum.
Also appearing on the main card is rising prospect Mackenzie Dern, who faces Amanda Bobby Cooper, while the main card gets underway with a middleweight bout between mixed martial arts legend Vitor Belfort and former UFC light heavyweight title holder Lyoto Machida.
