White: Interim title shot Silva demanded 'won't happen'

An ultimatum from Anderson Silva doesn't appear to be having its desired effect on the UFC.

After the middleweight star threatened to retire if he didn't get an interim title fight against Yoel Romero, UFC president Dana White didn't budge on the issue.

"Dealing with Anderson is always interesting," White told TMZ. "Obviously, he wants an interim title. Obviously, we're not going to do an interim title. He's definitely coming out publicly, and you know my philosophy on that. If you ever say the 'R' word, you should probably do it anyway. If you're ever considering retirement, you should probably do it."

Asked to clarify, White reiterated that the promotion isn't considering giving Silva the title shot he seeks.

"We will not do an interim title. It won't happen."

Silva demanded Monday that he receive a title shot to replace his originally scheduled June 3 booking in Rio de Janeiro, or he was "done." That booking is now up in the air after Kelvin Gastelum was pulled due a positive test for marijuana.

White understands Silva's frustration, but says Gastelum getting pulled was beyond his control and the veteran isn't in line for a fight of that magnitude.

"(Michael) Bisping's ready, willing, and able to fight the actual No. 1 contender, who is Yoel Romero," White added. "Anderson Silva is ranked No. 7 right now. If he was willing to take the Romero fight for June - because he was supposed to fight Kelvin Gastelum. Anderson's mad. I didn't pull Kelvin Gastelum out. Kelvin Gastelum smoked weed and now he got busted. We've done everything we could to make another fight for Anderson, so it's nothing we did."

Though Silva's one of the most accomplished fighters to ever set foot in the Octagon, he doesn't have much leverage to get the matchup he wants at this stage of his career.

The 42-year-old's last bout, a unanimous decision victory over Derek Brunson at UFC 208, marked only his first win in his last six contests.