(L-R) Opponents Vitor Belfort and Michael Bisping face off before in their middleweight fight at the UFC on FX event on Jan. 19 at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
With a good chance of being scheduled for November, ADCC 2013 will no longer be in Sao Paulo, like the organizers of the event created by Tahnoon biz Zayed from Abu Dhabi, had planned. And the reason for it is connected to UFC on FX 7.
On Jan. 17, when the octagon for UFC event already began to be built at Ibirapuera, the city of Sao Paulo was questioned by the State Public Prosecutor about the amount spent on the event – approximately $2.5 million, according to the prosecutor. After the investigation, the city of Sao Paulo needed to review all of its investments for sporting events, including ADCC 2013.
After that, another gigantic metropolis gained ground in the race to host the tournament created in 1998: Shanghai, China.
“We had a complete sponsorship package from Sao Paulo City Mayor’s office approved and confirmed,” said the ADCC Committee on Sunday in letter first published by Kid Peligro. “However, recently, we were informed that the agreement has been revoked. Therefore, we are forced to change venues. Brazil has the strongest tradition in our sport and due to this very unfortunate turn of events we have to seek a different location for the ADCC 2013 event. As of now we are deciding whether to hold ADCC World Championships in either Abu Dhabi or China. We are very excited with the possibilities that each place offers and are looking forward to another great edition of our event.”
While the exact dates for ADCC 2013 are not confirmed, the trials in Brazil are from April 19 to 21. The venue is not 100 percent confirmed, but organizers targeting to hold the event at Maracanãzinho.
Registration opens on Monday, February 25. Visit the official website of the event in Brazil so you don’t lose time and miss a slot for ADCC 2013: www.adccbrazil.com.br.
