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Jessica Andrade’s manager issues statement about escalating tensions in China ahead of UFC Shenzhen

August 14, 2019
12,000 Police Officers Attend Drill In Guangdong Thousands of police officers attend a drill in Shenzhen, China, on Aug. 6. | Chen Wen/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

The UFC will make its first trip to Shenzhen, China, on Aug. 31, and some videos and news have brought up safety concerns ahead of the event.

According to a report from Chinese website Ecns, 12,000 police officers participated in a drill in the city six days ago, displaying armored vehicles, emergency vehicles, helicopters and amphibious vehicles.

Earlier Tuesday, after the Washington Post reported that thousands of protesters shut down Hong Kong’s international airport, Alexandre Krauss posted a video on Twitter showing a long line of military trucks in Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong.

UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade, who defends her 115-pound title against China’s Weili Zhang in the main event of UFC Shenzhen, flew from Rio de Janeiro to Shanghai in the early hours Tuesday. “Bate Estaca” will train at the brand new UFC Performance Institute for two weeks before traveling to Shenzhen.

Andrade’s plans will remain the same, her manager Tiago Okamura told MMA Fighting on Monday, and they are confident that any safety issue will be handled accordingly by the UFC.

“We’ve been in many cities that have experienced issues in the past, and the UFC is always super careful with its athletes and their teams,” Okamura wrote in a statement to MMA Fighting. “We have total confidence that the UFC will orient us about any problem that might happen and how to deal with the situation.”

Andrade won the UFC title with a second-round knockout win over Rose Namajunas in Rio de Janeiro in May, and looks to end Zhang’s impressive 19-fight winning streak at Shenzhen’s Universiade Sports Centre.

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