Wanderlei Silva Reacts To ‘Free Nick Diaz’ Petition
Former Pride FC middleweight champion and UFC legend Wanderlei Silva has been embroiled in a deep battle with the Nevada Athletic Commission for over a year now. After skipping out on the NAC random dope tester when he came to ‘The Axe Murderer’s’ gym, Silva was hit with a lifetime ban and hefty fine for his actions.
Since that time, Silva’s ban was overturned, yet he still battles the commission and also his former employers Zuffa, who are suing the Brazilian for deformation. Now infamous videos of Silva on his youtube channel blasting Dana White, the UFC and the NAC have seen the an favorite in a different light. Check out the quotes of Silva’s most recent upload by MMAFighting.com:
“The NSAC has made so many mistake,” Silva said of Diaz’s case. “It shouldn’t be allowed to punish someone just like that. Especially for such a long time. That practically ends a fighter’s career. It’s very cloudy and unclear. One guy gets one year, the other gets two years. I had to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. I’m spending a lot of money with lawyers to defend myself.
“I’ve never tested positive for anything. I was always a clean fighter and they want to ban me from the sport. How does that work?”
The ban that Nick Diaz was hit with for failing his third drug test for marijuana in Nevada is pretty much a lifetime ban, and Silva recognizes this. The positive from the situation so far is the success of the fan made White House petition to lift Diaz’s outrageous ban. It’s clear these actions have struck a chord with the normally militant ‘Axe Murderer,’ and it could be the start of another line of work for him:
“This commission should have a professional athlete working there,” said Silva. “I am available to work together with the commission to create clear laws that give the athletes the proper respect. The athletes deserve more respect.”
“Another law that was approved now that does not help athletes in any way [is that] now athletes are not allowed to use an IV,” said Silva. “Do you know what’s the impact of this law? The brain damage caused by each hit will be much worse than if you were properly hydrated. The IV has no anabolic effects.
“These are not laws to actually protect and support athletes. This is part of all the oppression suffered by athletes. We are being crushed in so many ways that we’re realizing that if we don’t unite we will be finished.”
The UFC anti-doping boss Jeff Novitsky has argued that natural hydration is a much healthier and effective way of rehydrating in comparison to the more widely used IV method. Silva’s other quests, such as the venture to get the Muhammad Ali act enabled in MMA, shows he cares very much for his fellow fighter.
At the end of it though, it may be Wanderlei Silva‘s wallet that pays the ultimate price for his opinions on the UFC. We’ll soon see.
