Brazilian UFC events are always a loud affair. But if any UFC event has ever pushed the decibels to dangerous levels, it could be this weekend at UFC 198. The fight card in Curitiba, Brazil will be the most star-studded MMA card in Brazilian history, and 40,000 local MMA fans will be on hand to remind any foreign fighters that "uh vai morer," or they are not expected to be victorious (very loose translation).
Before the late removal of Anderson Silva from the event due to illness, the fight card boasted four current or former UFC champions, and three more title-challengers, one of whom is the new Heavyweight contender Stipe Miocic. And that doesn't even include former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Ronaldo Souza, former Strikeforce and Invicta Women's Featherweight champion Cris "Cyborg" Justino, or several other fan favorites like Matt Brown, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and John Lineker.
The fight card is absolutely stacked with talent and local drawing power, so expect an even more frenzied atmosphere than is usual for a Brazilian card. That will make for extra excitement in these already interesting matchups. But someone has to win and lose regardless of crowd noise, so let's first look at how the fighters on the card stack up in terms of offensive and defensive effectiveness.