The hammer has come down on former Pride champion and MMA legend Wanderlei Silva.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission has banned Silva for life from MMA and handed down a sizable $70,000 fine. He was called before the commission in regard to an incident in May where he reportedly ran away from a Nevada State Athletic Commission representative who requested he submit to a random drug test.
The hearing was broadcast live on UFC Fight Pass.
Silva did not appear at the hearing and did not phone into the proceedings. Instead, he was represented by his lawyer, Ross Goodman, a move which the NSAC expressed displeasure regarding. From the early statements, it was clear that the commission was poised to take particularly strong action against Silva, and it did precisely that.
The hammer is about to fall on Wanderlei Silva – sounds like an indefinite suspension, the harshest penalties possible #UFC
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) September 23, 2014
Silva voluntarily appeared before the commission at a preliminary hearing in June. At the hearing, Silva acknowledged wrongdoing in fleeing from the drug test and claimed that he refused to submit a sample because he was taking banned diuretics to help in the treatment of a wrist injury he suffered during his infamous brawl with Chael Sonnen on the set of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3.
Goodman had previously questioned whether or not the Nevada State Athletic Commission had the authority to test Silva at the time. Silva was not licensed to fight and was not in the process of obtaining a license at the time.
However, the commission responded that because the UFC was in the process of promoting a fight involving Silva (being his UFC 178 matchup with Chael Sonnen), he was subject to random drug testing. Because of his flight from the test and apparent refusal to comply with the NSAC, he was hit with a sizable fine and a lifetime ban by the NSAC.
Final judgment – Wanderlei Silva has been banned for life from Nevada and a $70,000 fine (35% of his purse). #UFC
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) September 23, 2014
Obviously, this is another sad turn for a man who was once one of the most popular fighters in the sport. While Silva’s run in Pride FC from 2001 through 2006 remains one of the best in MMA history, a 2-6 stretch that featured four vicious knockout losses had many questioning whether or not Silva should retire.
While he would bounce back with wins over Cung Le and Brian Stann, Silva’s oft-silly beef with Sonnen (which saw him actively avoid a matchup with the former light heavyweight and middleweight contender) was not well-received by fans and actually transformed Sonnen from the most reviled figure in Brazilian MMA to one of its biggest heroes.
In all likelihood, this ban effectively ends Wanderlei Silva’s career as a fighter.
Stay tuned for more details as they become available.
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