SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
August - 2015
25
belt against Brazilian challeng-
ers in Brazil. It’s this kind of
brave undertaking that sepa-
rates the legends from the
champions.
Showing tremendous courage
is not the only benefit of going
south, it also exposes a fighters
brand to a whole new market
– just look at the way Rousey
was received by the adoring
Brazilian fans. Over the past
week, her fan base in Brazil will
have grown vastly.
Other (former) male Ameri-
can champs have had the op-
portunity. Half of Jon Jones’
eight title defences have come
against Brazilians, but each
time the bouts have been in
North America. Similarly, since
first becoming champ, Cain
Velasquez has faced a Brazilian
five times – none have played
out in Brazil.
Both of these former champs
have dreams of being the
greatest of all time, however
they’ve not even left their own
back garden. To truly realize
their greatness, they must stare
down the barrel of the gun, feel
the intimidation of a foreign
crowd screaming for their Bra-
zilian compatriot and still win.
A victory in these conditions
would be far more impressive
than another one in front of a
home crowd in Vegas.
Meanwhile, the Brazilians are
doing just this time after time.
Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo and
Renan Barao have between
them made twenty five title
defences. Out of those 25 title
fights, 20 of them have taken
place outside of Brazil. At the
same time, after tallying up the
defenses of Jones, Velasquez,
Chris Weidman and Dominick
Cruz, you’ll find that every
single title defense occurred in
North America.
Bluntly, the American champi-
ons have a far easier time of it
than the Brazilians.
It’s unsurprising that the fighter
with the spirit to venture in to
Brazil with the belt strapped
firmly round her waist is Rousey.
Once again, she’s showing the
men how it’s done.
