Wanderlei Silva’s future is on the line at today’s Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) meeting in Las Vegas, but the UFC fighter won’t attend the meeting.
Silva spoke to MMAFighting.com and said he’s confident he will be licensed again in the state after running from a random drug test prior to a scheduled light heavyweight bout with Chael Sonnen earlier this year, and explained why he won’t be in Nevada for such an important meeting.
“I had already scheduled this tour in Canada,” Silva said. “They told me (about the meeting) after I scheduled my commitments here, but my lawyer will be there and he will clarify everything.”
Silva declined to reveal what his lawyer will say in his defense before the commission, but is optimistic.
“The commission will make a coherent decision and will apply the law,” he said.
The former PRIDE champion is hoping to fight his 50th professional MMA bout by the end of the year, and he hopes to meet fellow PRIDE superstar Dan Henderson inside the Octagon.
“The three guys that I really want to fight are (Vitor) Belfort, who might be the next UFC champion, so he can’t fight (me), (Chael) Sonnen, who will have to wait for his suspension, and Dan Henderson,” he said. “Henderson and I are 1-1 and it’s an interesting fight for any soccer stadium in Brazil.
“Leave a question to your readers: if this fight was in your city, would you watch it? Come on, that would sell out easily.”
UPDATE: Silva’s team has filed a motion to dismiss the disciplinary action against him in regards to the drug test he willingly dodged on May 24th. As a result, the Nevada Athletic Commission has tabled Silva’s hearing for consideration at a later date.
Wanderlei Silva’s future is on the line at today’s Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) meeting in Las Vegas, but the UFC fighter won’t attend the meeting.
Silva spoke to MMAFighting.com and said he’s confident he will be licensed again in the state after running from a random drug test prior to a scheduled light heavyweight bout with Chael Sonnen earlier this year, and explained why he won’t be in Nevada for such an important meeting.
“I had already scheduled this tour in Canada,” Silva said. “They told me (about the meeting) after I scheduled my commitments here, but my lawyer will be there and he will clarify everything.”
Silva declined to reveal what his lawyer will say in his defense before the commission, but is optimistic.
“The commission will make a coherent decision and will apply the law,” he said.
The former PRIDE champion is hoping to fight his 50th professional MMA bout by the end of the year, and he hopes to meet fellow PRIDE superstar Dan Henderson inside the Octagon.
“The three guys that I really want to fight are (Vitor) Belfort, who might be the next UFC champion, so he can’t fight (me), (Chael) Sonnen, who will have to wait for his suspension, and Dan Henderson,” he said. “Henderson and I are 1-1 and it’s an interesting fight for any soccer stadium in Brazil.
“Leave a question to your readers: if this fight was in your city, would you watch it? Come on, that would sell out easily.”
UPDATE: Silva’s team has filed a motion to dismiss the disciplinary action against him in regards to the drug test he willingly dodged on May 24th. As a result, the Nevada Athletic Commission has tabled Silva’s hearing for consideration at a later date.
