Recent UFC signing, and former M-1 champion, gets two-year ban drug test failure.
Brazilian middleweight Bruno ‘Blindado’ Silva (19-6) has been hit with a two-year ban by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after testing positive for a banned substance. MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz first reported this story, based of information obtained from Silva’s manager, Bernado Serale.
Serale, who told MMA Fighting that he believes his client is innocent, confirmed that the fighter had given USADA sample containing the steroid boldenone. USADA have not publicly announced Silva’s test failure or ban. The agency’s official website reveals that Silva has been tested 10 times since he signed with the UFC.
News of Silva’s test failure first began circulating in June, 2019. In response to those stories, Silva said the following (per MMA Fighting): “I know, without a doubt, that I did everything according to the standards established by USADA. I have faith in USADA that this situation will be resolved in a timely manner and that I will be cleared of any wrongdoing. For all my fans and supporters, thank you. I assure you that I did not disappoint you.”
If the two-year sanction against the 30-year-old Silva stands, he will be cleared to fight again in 2021. Silva had been booked to fight Deron Winn at UFC Fight Night: Greenville in June, 2019 before failing his drug test.
Before signing with the UFC last year Silva beat Artem Frolov by TKO to lift the M-1 middleweight title. He’d earned that title shot by beating Alexander Shlemenko — also by TKO — five months earlier. In 2014 Silva appeared on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3, but he failed to make it past the first elimination round; thanks to a headkick KO loss to Vitor Miranda.