With all the commotion Chael Sonnen caused this week, the Nevada State Athletic Commission hasn’t forgotten about Wanderlei Silva—and UFC President Dana White sure knows it.
At a media press conference on Thursday, White explained that he doesn’t expect the NSAC‘s June 17 hearing to go well for Wanderlei Silva, who has been asked to appear after refusing a random drug test last month, per MMA Fighting.
“I think the Wanderlei story is not going to end well … When you get caught taking performance enhancing drugs you’re gone for a year, or whatever the suspension is, but it’s never good. I think, and I honestly know nothing about what’s going to happen, but I would have to say they’re probably going to make a serious example out of Wanderlei … “There’s no way in hell [the NSAC] are letting him off,” said White. “No way in hell. They are going to bury Wanderlei Silva. In my humble opinion. They’re going to bury him.”
In a YouTube video released shortly after he was removed from UFC 175, which was supposed to pit him in a grudge match against Sonnen, “The Axe Murderer” insisted his issues with the NSAC came about due to a language barrier.
White wasn’t buying into that excuse, simply stating “you don’t walk out on a drug test, especially in Nevada” at the same media scrum.
After Sonnen‘s removal from the card due to failing a random drug test for two anti-estrogenic drugs, per ESPN, Silva expressed an interest in re-entering the mix against Vitor Belfort.
While that seemed like little more than a pipe dream at first, it is now a complete impossibility since “The Phenom” has officially been pulled from the UFC’s annual Fourth of July weekend event, per MMA Junkie.
The Brazilian brawler will also never get the chance to settle the score with Sonnen inside the cage either, since “The American Gangster” announced his retirement from mixed martial arts on Wednesday.
Silva has not fought since March of last year, a vintage knockout of former WEC light heavyweight champ Brian Stann, and is just 4-5 inside the Octagon since coming over from PRIDE in August 2007.
Will the NSAC, under the lead of new Executive Director Bob Bennett, indeed make an example of Silva or will he walk away with a slap on the wrist on Tuesday?
John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
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