Earlier this week, UFC president Dana White revealed that Middleweight champion Anderson Silva was being fined $50K by the promotion. The fine was levied in response to Silva flying to Brazil instead of Los Angeles where he was scheduled to appear at a media event for UFC 162. White called Silva’s behavior “unacceptable.”
The UFC president wasn’t the only one upset with Silva for missing the event. His scheduled opponent and the next challenger to the title Chris Weidman gave a statement to MMA Fighting:
“I hope he’s staying grounded,” he said. “I hope his head isn’t getting so big that he thinks he doesn’t have to do things for the UFC, but who am I to judge?
“If his head is really getting too big, I’m definitely going to bring him down to earth on July 6.”
However, “The Spider” told Veja he never knew about the media event (via Sherdog):
“I’ve never missed any commitment to the UFC. I would never have made the trip to Brazil if I knew I had to be in Los Angeles,” said Silva. “Everyone knows that I always block my media schedule to devote myself to training, since that’s my main priority. I’m an athlete, and my focus will always be to train and be prepared for the challenges.”
Silva and Weidman will meet in the Octagon as the main event for UFC 162 on July 7 in Las Vegas, NV. Silva has the opportunity to extend his title defense record to 13 and his UFC undefeated streak to 16 fights. The “All American” will be trying to become the man to upset the longest reigning champion in UFC history.