UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva

By FCF Staff

Anderson Silva made headlines this week, not because of another spectacular performance in the Octagon, but because he was fined $50,000 by the UFC for failing to attend several media events.

According to his employer and its President Dana White, Silva was supposed to attend several events Tuesday in Los Angeles to promote his July 6th bout with Chris Weidman. Silva had already headed back to Brazil, however, and was a no show as a result.

Since the middleweight champion is contractually obligated to attend certain media events, the UFC fined him 50K.

The 38 year-old-fighter reportedly told Brazil’s Veja (quote via Sherdog.com) that: “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. 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.”

The Silva-Weidman bout will headline UFC 162 which will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.