Anderson Silva Issues Statement On USADA Test Failure
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has broken his silence on his latest drug test failure.
Silva was pulled from his bout against Kelvin Gastelum at the upcoming UFC Fight Night 122 event after he was flagged due to a potential U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) violation.
The promotion then was searching to find a replacement for Silva, and they found former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping who agreed to fight Gastelum at the event, which is slated to take place on November 25, 2017, at Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China. The main card will air on the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass.
Silva broke his silence on the situation when he declared in a tweeted statement that he “will not give up” and “nothing changes my plans” as far as continuing his MMA career. He sent out the following:
“Obviously I think everything is part of a process of evolution. With each passing day, I can learn more about who I am. I’m here to thank all my fans, especially my coaches and all the contributors for this long journey. I can’t express my feelings and how sad I am, because we all invest love, passion and time in this camp. I don’t know exactly the plans of God for me.
But anyway, I can only thank him and all of you for the love and affection. Nothing is more gratifying at this moment than having you by my side. I will not give up, much less stop doing what I love. Not because of fame or money, it’s because I love to fight. So no matter what happens from now on, nothing changes. My plans are the same. Nothing has changed. A big kiss for everyone and see you soon.”
Thanks for all your support! A big kiss for everyone and see you soon. pic.twitter.com/nvoZTJkwct
— Anderson Silva (@SpiderAnderson) November 15, 2017
This marks the first time that Silva has potentially violated the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency program.
However, this isn’t his first time failing a drug test as he is a repeat offender. If you recall, he failed a drug test around the time of his UFC 183 fight with Nick Diaz in January 2015 before USADA partnered with the MMA promotion.
As a result of that failure, he received a one-year suspension and $380,000 fine from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. At the time, Silva claimed that the reason he failed was due to a tainted sexual enhancer.
