Scratch another country off the Joe Pyfer do-not-fly list.
Just days before the UFC Rio mixed martial arts (MMA) event on ESPN+, scheduled for this Sat. night (Oct. 11, 2025) at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s health minister, Alexandre Padilha, came forward to address the “abnormal” outbreak of methanol poisoning “unlike anything else in [the] history of the country.”
MMA Fighting brought word of the health crisis on Tuesday.
More than 200 cases have been confirmed — including three deaths
— as a result of tainted alcohol, including (but not limited to) gin, vodka, and whiskey. It remains unclear if the poisonings have been accidental or intentional and the source of the tainted liquor has yet to be determined at the time of this writing.
“There has been a rise in cases of methanol-tainted alcohol in Brazil,” UFC informed its staff members by way of internal memo (via Guilherme Cruz). “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.”
UFC Rio will be headlined by the lightweight showdown pitting former champion, Charles Oliveira, against longtime contender and late replacement, Mateusz Gamrot. Elsewhere on the card, Deiveson Figueiredo battles Montel Jackson at 135 pounds, not long after Vicente Luque and Joel Alvarez (not Santiago Ponzinibbio) collide at welterweight.
For the rest of the UFC Rio fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.
