Anderson Silva Working With USADA To ‘Find Out Reason’ For Test Failure
Earlier this week, it was announced that former longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva had once again been flagged by USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) for a potential anti-doping violation, forcing the UFC to pull him from his scheduled main event bout against Kelvin Gastelum at November 25’s UFC Fight Night 122 in Shanghai, China.
Following the news, Silva released the following statement:
“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.”
Now, “The Spider” has released a second statement via his official Twitter account indicating that his medical team is working with USADA to figure out what triggered the positive test and how it entered Silva’s system:
To All my fans,
Thank you so much for all of the support you have shown me over the past week. This means a lot to both my family and I…I just want to keep you updated on what’s going on now. My medical team is working very closely with USADA to find out the reason for my suspension of UFC SHANGHAI… hopefully we will get more news very soon. I have been fighting for the past 20 years and always try to be an example to my fans and to my spot ….
Again, I want to thank all of you for your support and hope to see you soon for my next fight…
“The Spider”
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that Silva has dealt with a failed drug test. After his UFC 183 fight against Nick Diaz in January 2015, it was revealed that Silva had tested positive for a banned substance and he was subsequently suspended for one year.
How do you expect this situation to play out?
