Nick Diaz isn’t the first man to fail a drug screening after fighting former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
That small fraternity includes former middleweight and light heavyweight contender Chael Sonnen, a man all too familiar with the subject of performance enhancing substances.
Currently riding out a two-year suspension for failing two separate random drug tests for a ‘cocktail’ which included human growth hormone (HGH), recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), Sonnen retired from MMA last June.
Reacting to news that Silva himself had now failed a pre-fight drug screening, Sonnen believes the icon’s entire career is fair game to question.
“As soon as you test positive for something people will want to say it was over your whole career,” Sonnen told Steven Crowder Wednesday. “My response is, ‘That’s fair. That’s a fair statement.’ If you get hit with something it runs you all the way back in time.”
Consulting with advisors on how best to combat the test result, Silva hasn’t admitted any wrongdoing as of yet. Believing that fight, against a U.S. backed testing facility, to be ill-advised, Sonnen advocates for either silence or truthfulness.
“I don’t think it helps a guy to ever come out and go, ‘No no no. This was a one time … man they caught me on a bad…’ Call it what it is,” said Sonnen. “You took it. You got caught. The end.
“We’ll see how Anderson handles it, but I think when somebody, at least for me, when somebody tried to say things, even when it wasn’t accurate, I think I still deserve it. If you test positive and somebody wants to run that back all the way to when I started my career at nine years old, I don’t think that guy’s wrong.”
As for whether or not he believes Silva used PED’s during either or their title matches at UFC 117 in 2010 or at UFC 148 in 2012, Sonnen doesn’t rule it out.
“I really don’t know,” said Sonnen. “I can tell you this on Anderson Silva, the human body doesn’t get better with age. That’s reality. We start to decline as humans and particularly as athletes right around 25 years old. If you’re real lucky you might push that to 27 or 28. The good news is science and medicine have come along and decided the world does not belong to 18-25 year-olds, but that you can extend your career beyond that.
“If you’re asking me if he took something… There’s two tests that you take. The first test is not the urine drug test. The first test is the visual. When a guy takes his t-shirt off and gets in the ring or steps on the scale, you look at him. If a guy got better with time, you can’t do that on your own. Anderson Silva’s body doesn’t appear to have changed at all. So, a reasonable person would conclude that whatever he was on now, he was on before. But there’s no evidence to support that.”
5 MUST-READ STORIES
‘I have not taken any performance-enhancing drugs.’ Anderson Silva denies his failed test results. ‘I’m consulting with my advisors right now to explore all of my options and intend to fight this allegation and clear my name.’
Wow. Nick Diaz wasn’t licensed to fight Anderson Silva until the week of the fight and tested twice the threshold for marijuana metabolites.
Chat Wrap. Luke Thomas discusses Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz’ failed drug tests and more in this week’s live chat.
Holding our breath. Chuck Mindenhall explains that when Anderson Silva pops hot for PEDs, you know we have a problem.
Welp. Dana White says Anderson Silva will not be pulled from his coaching duties on TUF Brazil 4, shooting now in Las Vegas.
MEDIA STEW
Daniel Cormier and Kenny Florian talk steroid abuse in UFC and question Anderson Silva’s legacy.
More from Sonnen on Silva and Diaz’ failed tests.
Michael Bisping reacts to Silva’s test, starts stoking fires for a possible fight with Nick Diaz.
Prince Naseem is a big Conor McGregor fan.
Learn the Ouchi-Gari.
Mirko Cro Cop in some sort of Croation telecom commercial. (via r/MMA)
Long watches.
MMA 3 Way: Anderson Silva + Nick Diaz both fail UFC 183 drug tests
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Joe Rogan Experience #607 – Joe Schilling
TWEETS
Dun?
Love my people #mma #lodi #dunfighting http://t.co/la1TTtcR9A
— nick diaz (@nickdiaz209) February 5, 2015
Yep.
“@alliseeisgold: Does anyone in the UFC actually follow the rules?” A few of us
— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) February 4, 2015
“@alliseeisgold: Does anyone in the UFC actually follow the rules?” JB, I do!
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) February 4, 2015
DC and JB, I do 2! “@dc_mma: “@alliseeisgold: Does anyone in the UFC actually follow the rules?” JB, I do!”
— Mark Muñoz (@mark_munoz) February 4, 2015
“@alliseeisgold: Does anyone in the UFC actually follow the rules?” Few of us still out there, I know I can vouch for myself n teammates
— Benson Henderson (@BensonHenderson) February 4, 2015
“@alliseeisgold: Does anyone in the UFC actually follow the rules?”
— Joanne Calderwood (@DRkneevil) February 4, 2015
“@alliseeisgold: Does anyone in the UFC actually follow the rules?”
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) February 4, 2015
Damn.
I’ve heard it was Ronda’s b-day this week, it was the last one she celebrated as the current champ,… http://t.co/67dZAPAtXi
— Bethe (@bethecorreia) February 4, 2015
Get well soon.
This mug is heavy! My quad game is going to be on point!!! pic.twitter.com/2TiDnxubrO
— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) February 5, 2015
I want to apologize to my friends fan, my old boys been bothering me for a while now. I will be back… Thank u @ufc pic.twitter.com/bKYoCxKSDW
— Manny Gamburyan (@MannyGamburyan) February 5, 2015
Nice.
@TimBoetsch Hey bro. We did a great fight. Congrats for the fight of the night. God bless you and your family.
— THALES LEITES (@thalesleites) February 5, 2015
Probably a coincidence.
Doing work! @SpikeTV @BellatorMMA great shoot everyone was a class act. viacom http://t.co/ZgUow7vyzW
— Tito Ortiz (@titoortiz) February 5, 2015
You think?
The @ufc is becoming a fan of #TeamCyborg! If you wanna see me Fight in The UFC In 2015, click “like” on This… http://t.co/XLUI1TbO1U
— Cris Cyborg (@criscyborg) February 5, 2015
Bones had a great view.
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Feb. 4 2015)
Will Brooks vs. Dave Jansen at Bellator 136
Rafael Carvalho vs. Joe Schilling at Bellator 136
Vagner Rocha out, Joseph Duffy vs. Jake Lindsey at UFC 185
Anthony Hamilton vs. Daniel Omielanczuk at UFC Fight Night: Cro Cop vs. Gonzaga
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes via Graham Douglas.
What a heck of a situation the sport of MMA finds itself in. Let’s clear this up right away. Either you believe that Anderson Silva used PEDs for the first time EVER for this Diaz fight, or you believe that it must have been part of his “training regiment” for fights previously. It’s either or. I’m going to speak to those fans of the sport who believe that this is not the first time that Silva has used PEDs. It has become quite clear, I think at this point, that PEDs are the norm as much as fans might want to disbelieve it.
There is only one fighter out there who spearheaded a crackdown on PEDs. His name is Georges St-Pierre. It makes me think one thing. This guy fought clean. He took himself out of the sport primarily because he felt it has become infested with PED use. That was a noble and mightily courageous move. He has stuck to his guns and just look how things have gone. Make you go, hmm. Doesn’t it?
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Check out the rest of the post here.
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