UFC Reportedly Cancels PPV Event in Rio de Janeiro

A few months ago, UFC President Dana White announced that UFC 197 would be held in Brazil this coming March. Now, it appears that the event will be put on hold.

According to Anderson Silva in a conference call, the trip to Brazil for UFC 197 is cancelled due to the current economic crisis in the country. This news might also mean the 2016 Olympics in Brazil could be in big trouble. While The UFC hasn’t made a comment, The Spider was sure to get the message across:

“(The plan) was to have me fighting in Brazil against I don’t know who, but with this situation going on in Brazil, economically and everything, the UFC decided to abort this event for now.”

The former UFC Middleweight Champion is coming back from a suspension following his win against Nick Diaz at UFC 183. That victory soon became a no-contest after he tested positive for multiple illegal substances. Silva was supposed to fight in the main event at UFC 197. With the fight reportedly cancelled, the 40 year old Silva is now set to face Michael Bisping on February 27th at UFC Fight Night 83. The event will be at The O₂ Arena in London, England.

Everyone will be waiting for The UFC to comment, but the return of Silva will not deter fans away from disappointing news.