Anderson Silva has been given a one-year suspension following failed USADA test which was proven to be from a tainted supplement.
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has been given a one-year suspension by USADA following a failed drug test stemming from Oct. 2017. The organization found that the substance came from a contaminated supplement which is why Silva’s punishment was reduced.
Anderson Silva is going to receive a one-year suspension from USADA dating back to Oct. 2017 after it was deemed his positive drug test was due to contaminated substances, sources confirm. He will be eligible to return in Oct. 2018 and wants to resume his career.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 18, 2018
Silva’s PR team released a statement to Ariel Helwani.
“I am vindicated. The past nine months have been extremely difficult. I felt like my career and everything I had worked so hard for was dying and my future was hanging in the balance. I knew in my heart that I had done nothing wrong and fully cooperated with USADA during their inquiry to prove it. Today I have a renewed energy. My legacy is restored. I can focus on getting back into the ring and the next chapter of my life after fighting.”
Silva will be eligible to return to competition this Oct.
This is Silva’s second failed test, which could have seen a four-year sanction if found at fault.
The first infraction stemmed from his bout with Nick Diaz in the main event of UFC 183 on January 31, 2015. He was making his return after snapping his leg in one of the most gruesome Octagon injuries of all time. He was flagged for Drostanolone and Androstane, two anabolic steroids during his pre-fight screening, but results were not available until after the fight. The bout was declared a no-contest and was suspended for a year.
Silva was at one time considered one of the greatest fighters in the UFC. He held the record for the longest title reign (beginning in 2006 and ending in 2013). He currently holds a 34-8 professional record and is coming off a decision win to Derek Brunson at UFC 208 – Holm vs. De Randamie.