Dana White Talks Wanderlei Silva “Smoke Screen”

Wanderlei Silva recently burned all his bridges with the UFC, and also scolded the NSAC…

Former UFC middleweight Wanderlei Silva retired from MMA with an emotional video to his fans this week. The former Pride FC middleweight champion and seven-time UFC bonus winner was embroiled in drug test controversy in May, which ultimately led to a lifetime ban and $70,000 fine from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

The infraction, which ultimately meant the shake up of UFC 175 and the TUF Brazil finals, has led to the end of a legendary career in MMA for Wanderlei Silva. The heart-wrenching video that “The Axe Murderer” posted served another purpose though, as he blasted his former employers the UFC for mistreatment and a lack of respect towards fighters. UFC President Dana White is not so convinced by Silva’s retirement video, as he speaks to The Download:

“I think he was trying to put up a smoke screen. Look over here because he does it a few days before he’s about to go in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The guy ran from a drug test. … I’ve been saying it for a long time that he was going to get something serious. I didn’t see a lifetime ban coming, but probably the worst thing you can do is run from a drug test. You can’t run from a drug test.”

White is correct in his assessment of Silva dodging his dope test back in May, no matter how much I want to sympathize with one of my favorite fighters; he was in the wrong there. But was “The Axe Murderer” mistreated by the promotion? DW doesn’t seem to think so:

“I’ve never said a bad thing about Wanderlei Silva in my life,” he said. “I’ve always respected the guy and there is no way that guy can ever say that myself or Lorenzo Fertitta ever disrespected him. There’s nothing more that needs to be said.”

A somewhat sad ending to such an illustrious and followed career is always hard to swallow. Guys like Wanderlei Silva are hard to find; the guy always comes to fight, win or lose, and has the charisma to just about everyone’s favorite fighter. Do you think that Silva was putting up a smoke screen as White suggests, or is this an attempt by the UFC to cover their ‘disrespect’ towards their roster of fighters?