Anderson Silva eating Burger King – Photo by Amanda Kestelman for GLOBOESPORTE.COM
This Saturday (Nov. 17, 2012), UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will make his long awaited return to the Octagon to face interim title holder Carlos Condit.
Expected cageside at the Bell Centre in Montreal will be UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva, who some speculated was there to challenge the 170-lbs French Canadian should he win.
Not so says ‘The Spider’ who spoke with to GloboEsporte.com today during a promotional event for his sponsor Burger King.
The middleweight kingpin says he only plans on returning to the Octagon sometime in late 2013 and if the UFC wants to hold an interim title fight, then it’s up to them to decide.
“I will go to Los Angeles and then I will go to Canada for UFC 154. I’m going to stay there to film an action movie that me and Lyoto will participate in [along with Steven Seagal]. But it is not my character to step in there and call somebody out. So I think this won’t happen. I fact I don’t just think, I am sure!” he explains.
Silva has expressed his intention to put on a catchweight bout with St. Pierre and he is not bothered if the Ultimate Fighting Championship decides to promote an interim middleweight title due to the long absence this may cause Anderson from the 185lb game.
“My focus is on my personal projects and on the fight versus Georges St-Pierre. If the UFC wants to make an ínterim bout while I am away, it is up to them. I don’t know if it will have any meaning but they can do whatever they want. I am in a comfort zone, so I am not concerned about it,” he said.
(Translated quote via Fighters Only)
If Silva plans on being absent for up-to-a-year or more if his next fight takes place at a catchweight with Georges St-Pierre or at 205-lbs with Jon Jones, it could be a long time before the fans see the middleweight title defended.
Creating an interim belt will certainly create some excitement within the division as well as with fans, so it’s certainly something I would support.
Chris Weidman versus Luke Rockhold for the interim title?