UFC’s White, Shelby, rail against media following Silva comments on UFC 197 not happening in Brazil

By Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Dana White (photo credit Gary Vazquez © USA Today Sports)

Anderson Silva said on Tuesday that the UFC had aborted plans to run UFC 197 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on March 5, but the UFC is now saying that’s not the case.

UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby took aim at the media on Twitter, despite the reports coming based on Silva’s own comments, and UFC President Dana White added that Silva’s comments were simply speculation. White also then went on a mini-rant, even taking aim at long-time interviewer of himself, and Fox employee, Ariel Helwani.

Penick’s Analysis: Meanwhile, while these comments are going down, multiple reports are now coming out on Twitter that the UFC is potentially targeting an event in Washington state on this date for UFC 197, which could feature Demetrious Johnson’s next title defense, and might even feature Holly Holm against Miesha Tate. If those fights wind up getting announced for that location, I’m really not sure what the reaction from Shelby and White is about. If they’re in a tiff over the idea that it was “canceled” that’s still ridiculous, because it’s technically true. It was announced for Rio de Janeiro, and if it happens anywhere else they will have “canceled” the Brazil event to have it happen elsewhere. Now, if Johnson-Henry Cejudo and Holm-Tate happen on that date, that’s a pretty big card for Washington, and likely the Seattle area, and the UFC’s response to this, especially based off of Anderson Silva’s comments, will be all the more asinine.

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