Report: Former Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro takes up residence at Jose Aldo’s Florida home

If the last five years or so have made anything abundantly clear, it’s that far-right politicians can find some of their staunchest supporters in…

By: Zane Simon | 9 months ago
Report: Former Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro takes up residence at Jose Aldo’s Florida home
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

If the last five years or so have made anything abundantly clear, it’s that far-right politicians can find some of their staunchest supporters in the world of mixed martial arts. Whether it’s fighters like Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal stumping for Donald Trump, or Wanderlei Silva and Fabricio Werdum chilling with Jair Bolsonaro, or the whole host of UFC talent that has accepted invitations from Ramzan Kadyrov.

In fact, in the case of the now-former Brazilian president, his ties to the world of MMA are so close that it seems a former UFC champion was top of his list of people to turn to after losing his seat in government to Luiz Inacio ‘Lula’ da Silva. With ‘Lula’ set to take office at the start of the new year, the New York Times reports that Bolsonaro refused to take part in the inauguration ceremony (including the passing of the presidential sash, marking a peaceful transition of power). Instead, Bolsonaro enjoyed the event in a Florida home owned by none other than Jose Aldo.

Situated in Orlando, Aldo’s “vacation home” is listed for rental at $519 a night. The 8-bedroom, 5.5 bathroom mansion is apparently just 5 minutes away from Disney World. And if reports on Twitter are accurate, the lodgings include a ‘Minions’ themed bedroom as well.

“Within the laws, respecting the Constitution, I searched for a way out of this,” Bolsonaro said of the recent election results, refusing to concede to Lula entirely. However, he added a note to suggest that he was resigned to the end of his time as president. “We live in a democracy or we don’t,” he added. “No one wants an adventure.”

In place of having the former president pass the sash to the new one, Lula chose to have the honor bestowed upon him by a host of people representing the Brazilian population at large—including a 10-year-old child, an indigenous man, a black woman, and a garbage collector (playing the role of Bolsonaro himself). No word if the former president plans on taking in any of Orlando’s sights, but he was spotted chowing down at a local KFC.

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About the author
Zane Simon
Zane Simon

Zane Simon is a senior editor, writer, and podcaster for Bloody Elbow. He has worked with the website since 2013, taking on a wide variety of roles. A lifelong combat sports fan, Zane has trained off & on in both boxing and Muay Thai. He currently hosts the long-running MMA Vivisection podcast, which he took over from Nate Wilcox & Dallas Winston in 2015, as well as the 6th Round podcast, started in 2014. Zane is also responsible for developing and maintaining the ‘List of current UFC fighters’ on Bloody Elbow, a resource he originally developed for Wikipedia in 2010.

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