Anderson Silva has released another statement on his potential USADA anti-doping violation.
Last week, it was announced that former pound-for-pound great Anderson Silva had been removed from his headlining middleweight bout with Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Shanghai due to a failed drug test.
Silva, the former UFC middleweight champion, failed an out-of-competition drug test administered by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) on October 26 and, according to statement released on Thursday, is working with the drug agency to find out where things went wrong.
— Anderson Silva (@SpiderAnderson) November 16, 2017
“Thank you so much for all of the support you have shown me over the past week. This means a lot to both my family and I…I just want to keep you updated on what’s going on now,” Silva posted on Twitter. “My medical team is working very closely with USADA to find out the reason for my suspension of UFC SHANGHAI… hopefully we will get more news very soon. I have been fighting for the past 20 years and always try to be an example to my fans and to my sport ….
“Again, I want to thank all of you for your support and hope to see you soon for my next fight…”
Silva, 42, tested positive for steroids after his middleweight bout with Nick Diaz in 2015 and was suspended for one year by the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC). Due to being a repeat offender, ‘The Spider’ could face a heavy suspension for his most recent failed test.
Silva last fought against Derek Brunson at UFC 208, where be beat the 33-year-old via unanimous decision in the co-main event.
Due to Silva’s removal from UFC Fight Night 122, Kelvin Gastelum will now face another former middleweight champ in Michael Bisping, who he fights at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China on Nov. 25.