Kevin Lee Reacts To Having To Fight In Empty Arena At UFC Brasilia
Kevin Lee has no problem fighting Charles Oliveira in an empty arena.
Lee takes on Oliveira in a lightweight bout in the UFC Brasilia headliner on Saturday. There were initial fears that the event would be canceled amid the coronavirus outbreak after the governor suspended sporting events earlier this week.
However, it will now still go ahead — only there won’t be any fans in attendance at the 16,000-seater Ginásio Nilson Nelson arena. The UFC also canceled Ultimate Media Day on Thursday as a result.
“Due to consideration of the government’s decree yesterday, Ultimate Media Day has been cancelled,” the UFC said in a statement. “Content featuring the athletes scheduled to fight in Saturday’s event will be captured and shared with credentialed media members in advance of the event.”
However, Lee has no problem with any of this as he plans to entertain everyone who will now be watching solely at home:
“I’m good with fighting in an empty arena. Let’s not panic too crazy, let us fight, entertain the people stuck at home. #UFCBrasilia“
“”The Motown Phenom” told Ariel Helwani more:
“I think the fight should go on. It’s important that we show we’re not gonna stop living. If it’s in front of empty seats that’s cool with me, it honestly makes the fight bigger. Especially with the NBA shutdown, this is gonna be one of the most watched fights ever. It’s gonna be like old-school martial arts days, you just gonna hear the punches and kicks, and when I hit Oliveira the whole world gonna feel it.”
Meanwhile, it looks like other UFC events taking place in Columbus and Portland will be moving to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas behind closed doors. It may be a matter of time until all events are either moved there or are canceled completely.
What do you think of UFC Brasilia taking place in an empty arena?
