Former UFC champion Anderson Silva suspended one year
Anderson Silva will be out of action for the foreseeable future after the Nevada State Athletic Commission banned him from fighting for one year.
By
Brandon Wise
•
1 min read
Former UFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva has been suspended one year by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for taking multiple banned substances. The positive tests, stemming from his unanimous victory over Nick Diaz at UFC 183, were for an off brand sexual enhancement product from Thailand. The suspension is retroactive to Jan. 31 and he is eligible to return to the ring Feb. 1, 2016.
"I think (Silva has) done excellent things, but this is the first time he's really been subject to enhanced testing," NSAC commissioner Anthony Marnell, who again emerged as a strong voice on PED usage, said per MMAJunkie. "I feel there's some intention here to use the product to come back from a devastating injury.
"There's definitely knowledge of what's going on here, and we're just playing games. And that's my frustration at all this soft testimony."
Silva admitted during the hearing he also used anti-anxiety medications, which were prescribed by a doctor in November. Silva failed his out-of-competition drug test on Jan. 9 after his fight against Diaz, when he tested positive for drostanolone metabolites and methyl androstane, a form of endogenous testosterone.
