Anderson Silva’s all-time great career now rests on the shaky foundation of his word. Despite testing positive for four banned substances before and after his UFC 183 bout with Nick Diaz, the former middleweight champ still vehemently proclaims his innocence.
He recently fired back at his critics in a post on Instagram, which was translated by MMAFighting.com. According to Silva, he isn’t a cheater, and he has never relied on performance-enhancing drugs to fight. He encouraged naysayers to go back and watch his earlier bouts in Japan, where he often fought undersized.
“I’m not a cheater, and I never had a juiced body,” Silva said. “Just watch my fights in Japan, when I fought at 176 pounds because there was no 185-pound division, and the guys I fought cut from 220 to 207. So for those ‘experts,’ go search real facts. … I’m just tired of listening to lies and false accusations.”
Silva has been given a temporary suspension until he meets with the Nevada State Athletic Commission for a hearing. The meeting has been canceled and rescheduled several times. Silva claims he is still waiting on the commission and his lawyers for the mandatory meeting to take place.
The drugs he specifically tested positive for were anabolic steroids drostanolone and androstane, along with anti-anxiety medications oxazepam and temazepam.
Silva’s bout with Diaz was his first in over a year after being sidelined with a broken leg. The gruesome injury occurred in his rematch with Chris Weidman in December 2013 from a blocked leg kick. Many expected the MMA legend to call it quits, but he worked his way back from the injury and returned to competition.
Regardless of the NSAC’s ruling, Silva told fans during a Q&A session in Rio de Janeiro, per MMAFighting.com, he expects to continue fighting for five more years.
Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.
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