UFC staff warned not to drink alcohol amid wave of poisonings in Brazil

UFC staff have been cautioned not to drink alcohol during their upcoming visit to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The warning to staff was delivered in an internal memo, per MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz, following a wave of poisonings in the South American country.

“There has been a rise in cases of methanol-tainted alcohol in Brazil,” the memo reportedly read. “The country’s health minister, Alexandre Padilha, has urged individuals to avoid drinking alcohol, particularly distilled beverages, in which contamination is more difficult to detect. As a result, we urge you to exercise your best judgment if you plan to drink alcohol.”

The poisonings have been delivered by way of contaminated alcohol, specifically via types of vodka, whiskey and gin. There have been 200 confirmed cases across the country so far, and at least three deaths. It’s not clear the if the poisonings have been intentional or the result of some kind of manufacturing accident.

Will UFC Rio go ahead?

The UFC, which has deep ties to Brazil and especially Rio de Janeiro, is set to return to the city this coming Saturday. The card is set to go ahead as planned. It will be headlined by a lightweight fight between former champ Charles Oliveira — a hero in Brazil — and Poland’s Mateusz Gamrot. Gamrot stepped in to replace the injured Rafael Fiziev on short notice. Oliveira will be looking to rebound from a knockout loss to Ilia Topuria in a failed bid to reclaim the lightweight belt earlier this year.

Saturday’s stacked card in Rio de Janeiro is expected to draw big crowds. As always, drinking will be a widespread theme, as fans enjoy the event itself, and fighters and UFC staff toast to their victories and successes in the aftermath. Hopefully, nobody is harmed over the course of the excitement.