According to Silva, the UFC repeatedly attempted to book the fight despite his insistence he wouldn’t be able to compete until late in the year.
“They told me I had to fight on that date and offered me a bunch of money,” Silva said. “I asked myself, ‘If they have the money, why didn’t they offer it to me before?’ They always hold on to the money so they underpay athletes.
“They kept pressuring me. I said I could only fight at the end of the year. They opened their eyes wide. I was not in the physical condition necessary to fight the July card. My body wasn’t responding and I couldn’t train.”
Both Silva and Sonnen were eventually pulled from the UFC 175 card due to licensing issues.