Brazilian MMA champ issues plea over Amazon fires

Brazilian MMA champion Jessica Andrade urged swift action to douse the fires burning out of control in the Amazon rainforest on Friday as she prepared for her UFC strawweight title defence.

Andrade, 27, who will face China's Zhang Weili in Shenzhen on Saturday, will enter the cage in a traditional tribal headdress to highlight the plight of Brazil's indigenous regions.

Tens of thousands of fires have been set this year in the world's largest rainforest, setting off a global outcry over conservation and environmental concerns.

"Not enough is being done. We need to preserve our natural environment," Andrade said in southern China.

"We have so many natural riches and it seems as though we are letting them be destroyed. This has to stop. The lands and the indigenous people seem to have no protection and we must listen to their voices."
"My goal now is to give exposure to the native people of Brazil and the issues they are being forced to face. They need to have a voice."
"We all have a strong connection to the land from which we come."