Anderson Silva announces he's out of UFC 212
The UFC's next trip to Brazil won't include one of its most beloved stars.
After losing original opponent Kelvin Gastelum to a failed drug test, UFC middleweight legend Anderson Silva said in an Instagram interview Sunday that he will not be competing at UFC 212 on June 3 in Rio de Janeiro, per Brazilian site UOL.
"I really wanted to fight in Brazil, my country, but it's not going to happen," Silva said, according to a translation from MMAjunkie. "I want to apologize for this. I really wanted to fight here, but it didn't happen. I think I was hurt in this, but that's it."
Silva had been campaigning for an interim title fight with Yoel Romero, but the idea was shot down by UFC president Dana White. The 42-year-old fighter recently threatened to retire if that encounter couldn't be arranged, stating his disillusionment with the promotion that he's fought for since 2006.
In particular, Silva was frustrated with his failure to land high-profile matches with middleweight champion Michael Bisping or returning superstar Georges St-Pierre.
As of Monday, the UFC's website still had Silva billed against a "to be determined" opponent at the June 3 show.