Sunday, April 25, 2010 | 1:59 a.m.
SACRAMENTO — Anderson Silva is still on thin ice after his unusual behavior in defending his UFC middleweight title against Demian Maia in Abu Dhabi two weeks ago.
But at the end of the day, he’s still Anderson Silva.
UFC President Dana White admitted to reporters Saturday following WEC 48 that despite Silva’s last performance, he will not be demoted to fighting on an undercard as White had earlier suggested.
Silva is expected to fight next against Chael Sonnen at UFC 117 in Oakland, Calif., and White said he will fight on the card’s main event.
“He’s our guy. He’s the champion,” White said. “He’s the main event.”
It’s a softer stance than what White originally took immediately following Silva’s latest performance. The talented fighter spent most of the night taunting and running away from Maia, while also slapping himself in the face.
Although White has relented on his threat of burying Silva on the undercard, he still says what the fighter did that night was inexcusable and wishes he could explain it.
He likened it to an instance that occurred in a heavyweight boxing match between Oliver McCall and Lennox Lewis on Feb. 7, 1997, when McCall was disqualified in the fifth round for having a mental breakdown in the ring.
“I wish I could sit down with everyone and explain, ‘Listen, this is what happened,’” White said. “I can’t. He gave me no answers. It’s one of the craziest things. I’ve never seen anything like that.
“Hopefully that never happens again.”
Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or [email protected].
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