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The MMA community united in support of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.
Hundreds of towns have been hit by historic flooding in the state of Rio Grande do Sul since late April. So far, 95 people have been confirmed dead and hundreds are still missing. More than 100,000 homes were damaged or completely destroyed, leaving more than 200,000 people homeless. At the moment, the local government has estimated the damage at almost a billion dollars.
The amount of rainfall that fell between April 22 and May 6 amounted to the amount that could have been expected for five months, causing Lake Guaiba to flood and hundreds of towns to be captured, including the state capital of Porto Alegre. The Gigantinho Gymnasium, where the 2015 UFC event was held, the main event of which was the Frank Mir vs. Antonio Silva fight, is now surrounded by water, as are large football stadiums and hundreds of buildings and roads.
Several fighters used their post-fight interviews at last weekend's UFC 301 event in Rio de Janeiro to urge their fellow Americans to join forces and help those affected. Many others have taken to social media to announce the donation, with trainers and fighters from around the world holding workshops in exchange for food and donations.
Tons of non-perishable food donated by fans in exchange for tickets to the UFC 301 weigh-in ceremony on May 3 – items that were originally supposed to be donated to social institutions in Rio de Janeiro – will now be donated to Canoas, one of the cities. The UFC announced Tuesday that it was hit hardest by the floods.
Former Bellator veteran Thiago Moeller, who teaches martial arts near Porto Alegre, told MMA Fighting he had never experienced anything like this in nearly 30 years of service in the Brazilian military.
“It's very, very sad,” Moeller said. “And it’s not just Porto Alegre. The scenes are shocking. The Army's command center is waiting on Civil Defense to see who will be rescued first. Many people will end up dead anyway. It's like a war zone. We wake up every day and see where we are going to help people. Everyone gets into the boats and does what they can. … We have a lot of volunteers helping us, but we don’t have enough boats and jet skis.”
Meller's home is intact, his wife and children are safe, but his 75-year-old relatives have lost everything after water entered their home from the Guaiba River. Moeller said many martial arts gyms have opened their doors to house homeless people.
“We went to a nursing home, a friend asked us to take his family to safety,” Moeller said. “A lot of people will still show up, people who have gone missing. It's so sad. You see people losing everything. Army sergeant, black belt, lost everything. He was collecting funds to buy clothes because the water had taken everything he had.
“Everyone is suffering, we have all lost something. It's heartbreaking to see people find out their homes have been destroyed. My father-in-law thought his house would be safe after I rescued them, and it was hard to see the big man crying like a child after learning that the water had carried away everything he had built.”
It will take several days for water levels to return to normal levels and many months for the state to recover again.
International donations can be made through Brazilian Foundation, crowdfunding campaignsor through state official website.
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