Anderson Silva is fed up with the UFC and Dana White for apparently lying to him.
“The Spider” made an appearance on “The MMA Hour” on Monday and expressed frustration about Georges St-Pierre getting an immediate middleweight title shot against belt-holder Michael Bisping after not fighting for nearly four years. Silva said the UFC had given him first dibs on St-Pierre when the Canadian returned from his hiatus.
“When I signed my last contract, (UFC president) Dana White and (former UFC CEO) Lorenzo (Fertitta) say ‘OK, when Georges St-Pierre is back, you go and fight superfight, you and Georges St-Pierre,'” Silva said, as transcribed by MMAFighting.com. “I don’t know what happened. Nothing happened. Georges St-Pierre is back to fight and back to fight for the belt. It’s terrible. It don’t make sense. I know it’s a (expletive) business, but I’m working hard for a long time.”
Silva was scheduled to fight Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 212 in his native Brazil, but Gastelum tested positive for a banned substance and was kicked off the card.
While he doesn’t have an opponent lined up right now, the 42-year-old threatened the UFC with an ultimatum. He demanded a shot at the interim belt against Yoel Romero, or else he’ll retire.
“I’m not going to fight Yoel Romero in Brazil for nothing,” Silva said. “Yoel Romero is not going to come to Brazil for nothing. I talked to Yoel’s team and we are on the same page. Let’s go fight, but for an interim title — because this makes sense.”
Romero is the No. 1-ranked middleweight contender and is just one of a handful of worthy fighters in a stacked division. But despite the competitiveness of the middleweight class, Silva, who isn’t getting any younger, feels he deserves a title shot soon.
“I’m tired, bro,” Silva said. “I lose my time for long time in this sport. I respect my fans. I give my heart for my fans. I’m working hard for UFC for long time in my life and nothing happened.
“This is real. This is all real. I’m working for long time in this fucking bullshit job and nothing happened. I give my heart for this sport. I give my leg for this sport. I give my time for my family for this sport.”
Thumbnail photo via Joshua Dahl/USA TODAY Sports Images
