Fabricio Werdum Believes Anderson Silva Should Keep His Word & Retire

A plethora of high-profile fighters have weighed in on longtime former champion Anderson Silva’s multiple failed drug tests for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in the wake of his UFC 183 win over Nick Diaz, and not surprisingly, most of them are disappointed in ‘The Spider.’

But none of them has taken such a hardline stance as that of interim heavyweight champion Fabricio ‘Vai Cavalo’ Werdum, who spoke up to Globo about Silva’s failed test. According to Werdum, the all-time great was a bit of a hypocrite in that he once said any fighter caught using PEDs should be forced to retire (quotes via Bloody Elbow):

“Anderson let a lot of people down, mostly because he said that fighters using PEDs shouldn’t fight anymore. Everybody wants to hear what he has to say. Let’s see if he’ll keep his word and retire. It damaged his image. Everybody knows who Anderson is and this happened out of nowhere. It damaged the image of the sport too, a image that took a long time to be built. People who dislike MMA say that the sport is a fraud and all fighters use drugs, but that isn’t the true. I can speak for myself, I’m a big guy but not that strong and muscled. I have never used.”

Harsh or not, Werdum may have a good point, as Silva was quoted as saying those exact words. He also has another in citing the length of time that it took Silva and other legendary names to build the sport of MMA’s reputation, one that is obviously under extreme fire given the recent streak of failed drug tests.

Although Werdum said that he and Silva were once friends but have not been in contact ever since ‘Vai Cavalo’s’ win over Silva’s good friend and teammate Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC on Fuel TV 10, he still believes that he used PEDs simply to recover from the gruesome broken leg he suffered against Chris Weidman:

“Maybe he used something during his recovery and couldn’t get clean at the right time? I don’t think that he tried to enhance his performance. It’s hard to tell. Everything that he did for the sport can’t be erased. He had a long career and was a warrior. He was one of the greatest of all time, we can’t debate that.”

Indeed Silva is one of the greatest of all-time, but his status as the greatest is definitely under fire now that news of his drug use has surfaced. Many believe that he should ride off into the sunset and retire, and at 40 years old and with a suspension looming, there may not be many other options for him.

Yet he still believes that he has nothing to apologize for and will continue to fight the results. With the tall task of clearing his name heaped upon his shoulders, should he heed Werdum’s words and retire?

Photo Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports