It’s been about two weeks since the greatest fighter in the history of combat sports tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
It’s been about two days since the Nevada State Athletic Commission penalized him for his actions. As things currently stand, Anderson Silva will not be allowed to compete inside of the cage for nine months.
Just days after the positive test was revealed, Silva made use of the proverbial pen in a fight for his reputation as a fighter who long advocated for a clean sport. He said in a statement:
I’ve been competing in this sport for a very long time. This is my 19th fight in the UFC. I have been thoroughly tested many times and have never had a positive drug test.
I have not taken any performance-enhancing drugs. My stances on drug is, and will always be, the same. I am an advocate for a clean sport.
I’m consulting with my advisors right now to explore all my options and intend to fight this allegation and clear my name. I will not make any further comments until my team advises me to do so.
Just one day after the UFC announced its renovated attempt at ridding its sport of all performance-enhancing drugs, Silva took to Instagram to defend his name once again. Here’s what Silva had to say:
IN RESPECT TO MY FANS
I will not say anything about who I am or what I went through to get here.
What matters to me now is the respect from those who have followed my career.
I bled, struggled and fought because I love it and because I always wanted to honor the flag of the country I love so much.
I don’t know what to apologize for, because I am still waiting for the results and analysis from the specialists that are working to reveal the truth.
Everything that I took since my injury are being analyzed. I look for the truth as much as all those who were surprised with the results. I always played clean, I was never a cheater.
In eighteen years of my career, I never had a problem with exams.
In and out of the Octagon I never slipped in compliance with the principles that always guided me. With much honor and dignity I defended my country where ever I fought.
I never used any substances to better my performance in my fights.
I love what I do and I would never risk what I took so long to build.
I think that the hurry some people have to condemn me is unfair.
The time it takes to destroy a reputation is infinitely less than that is taken to build it.
I am the one who is most eager to settle this situation.
I want those who have always supported me to know that I am still fighting for all the sad happenings of this situation to be cleared.
Silva, who tested positive for steroids in a Jan. 9 pre-fight test and post-fight test, will have a chance to present his argument at a disciplinary hearing that will likely be held in March or April.
Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report MMA. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec, and a programming intern at Fox Sports San Diego. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA.
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