(Why must you torture us, fan-made poster?? Image via MMehFighter)
Man, this week is just full of disappointments. First, we learn that Ronda Rousey‘s historic migration to the UFC isn’t quite official yet. And now we learn that this Saturday’s UFC 154 event in Montreal won’t include a WWE-style post-fight run-in from middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
As the story went, Silva would be in attendance at the Bell Centre to challenge Georges St. Pierre to a superfight, if GSP was victorious in his welterweight title defense against Carlos Condit. Though Silva does plan on attending the fight, he has no interest in getting up in St. Pierre’s grill afterwards:
“I’m going to Los Angeles and then going to Canada for the fight of St. Pierre,” Silva told Tatame. “I’m already going to be there to shoot a movie, a feature film that I’ll participate in with Lyoto (Machida). It’s not my character to up and challenge anyone. I think it will not happen. I think not, I’m sure (laughs).”
Furthermore, Silva doesn’t plan on fighting anybody until the end of next year:
“I’m on vacation from fighting. I think I will return only in the end of the next year. I have personal projects ongoing. Tomorrow I’m embarking to Los Angeles to attend the arrangements of the academy we’re setting up there…If the UFC wants to make an interim bout while I’m gone, it’s up to them. I don’t know if it will have any meaning but they can do whatever they want. I’m in a comfort zone, so I’m not worried about it.”
I’m sure Chris Weidman is just thrilled to hear about Anderson Silva and his “comfort zone.” But at least one fighter sees this “interim bout” business as a great opportunity…
Reacting to Silva’s recent statements, Michael Bisping tweeted out a fun little promotional suggestion yesterday: “@danawhite if Anderson wants to take time off to be a movie star make me and vitor for the interim title????”
He forgot to include #prettyplease, so we’re not sure if this will actually happen, but you can see why Bisping would want it to happen. The Count and The Phenom are slated to face off on January 19th in Brazil, and while the winner of that fight would certainly put himself “in the mix” for a middleweight title shot, an interim belt would award the winner an iron-clad #1 contender status. Bisping has spent his entire UFC career getting close to title shots but falling just short; becoming the interim champ would finally secure him a guaranteed shot at Anderson Silva, his personal white whale.
Look, you already know how we feel about this “interim champ” noise. But if Silva is really pursuing other interests until late 2013 (!), shouldn’t the UFC middleweight division be allowed to move on without him?