Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has responded publicly to the news he tested positive for several performance-enhancing drugs both before and after his UFC 183 bout in late January opposite Nick Diaz. In an Instagram posted published Friday titled, ‘IN RESPECT TO MY FANS’, Silva suggests he’s done nothing wrong.
“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,” Silva wrote. “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,” he continued. “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 was given a temporary suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission for the aforementioned failed tests on February 17th. He will face additional penalties from that governing body at a meeting at a later date.