Anderson Silva Flagged For Another Potential USADA Violation
A relatively calm Friday in mixed martial arts just turned into one of the craziest days of the year.
Moments after UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor jumped into the cage at Bellator 187 and shoved referee Marc Goddard before slapping a security guard, news has come that another UFC superstar has been flagged for his second potential USADA violation.
The UFC announced that Anderson Silva had been flagged in an out-of-competition sample and has been pulled from his main event bout versus Kelvin Gastelum at November 25’s UFC Shanghai:
“The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Anderson Silva of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected on October 26, 2017. As a result, Silva has been provisionally suspended by USADA. Due to the proximity of Silva’s upcoming scheduled bout at UFC Fight Night, Shanghai, China on November 25, 2017 against Kelvin Gastelum, Silva has been removed from the card and UFC is currently seeking a replacement.
USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Silva. Under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full and fair legal process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed. Additional information will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.”
If found guilty, the violation would be Silva’s second after he tested positive for anabolic steroids following his UFC 183 win over Nick Diaz, after which he was suspended for one full year.
”The Spider’ will, of course, be afforded full due process, but with two violations on his record, he’s now heading into Jon Jones territory, so his legacy will understandably be called into question.
And at 42 years old, he’s running out of time to return from his latest mishap.
