UFC’s Gilbert Burns Downplays NFLer’s Concerns About Brazil: ‘It’s Not That Crazy’

NFLers wringing their hands about Friday night’s game in Brazil need to relax…because Gilbert Brands — a UFC superstar from Rio De Janeiro — narrates TMZ Sports the athletes will have a great time in his native country.

The issue has become a hot topic since the NFL announced the Eagles would face the Packers in São Paulo’s season opener, especially after the corner in Philadelphia. Darius Slay this week accused league officials of scheduling the game in a place with a high crime rate.

But when we spoke to Burns about what the boys can expect when they finally get to South America, he said it won’t be “that crazy.”

He explained that like many American cities, it has its bad areas… but for the most part it is “beautiful.”

In fact, he encouraged the players to spend their free time exploring the city.

“Those guys, all footballers, look a bit like Brazilians,” said the 38-year-old Brazilian fighter. “They’re big, they’re strong. So they won’t have any problems there. And they’ll have a lot of fun.”

According to Slay, who finished? withdraw from his comments about Brazil in a post to X on Wednesday – the NFL advised players to stay in their hotels during the trip. But Burns says the UFC has sent out similar memos when its athletes have fought in Brazil, and he says those who ignored it haven’t regretted it.

As for the idea that wearing the color green could cause problems… Burns says he’s never heard of such a thing.

“It’s a lot of fun,” he said.

Burns will compete this weekend in Nevada Sean Brady and he’s expecting a good show — but if he wasn’t in the Octagon… he told us he’d be there in São Paulo to see all the action.