Tag: Anderson Silva drug test

Six Changes The UFC Needs To Bounce Back From A Disastrous 2017

The UFC has undergone some serious changes ever since ZUFFA sold the company to WME-IMG. While the new owners have had sporadic success like Mayweather vs. McGregor and UFC 217, it’s safe to say that 2017 had more low points than high ones for the promotion, and MMA as a result. Failed drug tests, arrests, […]

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The UFC has undergone some serious changes ever since ZUFFA sold the company to WME-IMG. While the new owners have had sporadic success like Mayweather vs. McGregor and UFC 217, it’s safe to say that 2017 had more low points than high ones for the promotion, and MMA as a result.

Failed drug tests, arrests, and a multitude of injuries have ravished the promotion all year, so what can the UFC do to ensure a better 2018?

These six directives are an absolute must if the promotion plans on rebounding from this past year:

6. Less Events Per Year

Remember back when every UFC card seemed to be stacked from top to bottom? Remember when watching a UFC event was a special occasion? Sometimes less is more, and with the UFC at the height of its popularity, oversaturation has watered down the product.

Smaller cards often go unnoticed due to lack of big-name fighters, which begs the question; do we need a UFC event four times a month?

Less cards mean more meaningful cards, like back in the mid-to-late aughts when every name was recognizable and each event was loaded top to bottom. UFC 84, 92, 100… The golden age of the UFC.

With the UFC’s partnership with FOX coming to a potential end (their deal ends in 2018), the thought of less but far more significant cards could be a reality in the not-too-distant future, and it would potentially help the company’s numbers next year.

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Jose Aldo Responds To Anderson Silva’s Second Failed Test

Brazilian MMA legend Jose Aldo has looked up to longtime former champion Anderson Silva for a decade, and now that “The Spider” has been caught for the second time using performance-enhancing drugs, “Junior” feels that Silva’s legacy has taken a massive hit. Aldo expressed his thoughts to MMA Fighting on recent failed drug tests from […]

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Brazilian MMA legend Jose Aldo has looked up to longtime former champion Anderson Silva for a decade, and now that “The Spider” has been caught for the second time using performance-enhancing drugs, “Junior” feels that Silva’s legacy has taken a massive hit.

Aldo expressed his thoughts to MMA Fighting on recent failed drug tests from his fellow Brazilian mixed martial artists as he prepares to rematch Max Holloway for the featherweight belt:

“It’s hard to say what happened. He’s an icon of the sport, he’s an idol for me and for MMA fans. Man, I don’t know, I can’t say much about it because I don’t know what happened.

“But with Junior ‘Cigano,’ no,” he continued. “Junior ‘Cigano’ and I have the same doctor, we come from the same lineage, so I don’t believe he took anything that enhances the performance or something like that. I think he’s more innocent than guilty.

“And I don’t know what happened with ‘Minotouro.’ I think athletes today make the mistake of trying to self-medicate sometimes without asking their own doctors, and that can hurt you. USADA and WADA change a lot the components that are doping, we receive e-mails all the time saying what is and what is not, but sometimes you make a mistake and it happens.”

Silva first tested positive for PEDs following his fight with Nick Diaz at UFC 183. The former longtime middleweight champ was pulled from his main event bout with Kelvin Gastelum at today’s UFC Shanghai for failing pre-fight out-of-competition drug test.

Many fighters have obviously popped for PEDs after USADA began increased, around-the-clock drug testing for UFC competitors in July 2015. As Aldo stated, former heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos has also been punished for failing a drug test, as well as Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

Do you think Silva’s legacy has been tarnished following his second failed test?

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Anderson Silva Flagged For Another Potential USADA Violation

A relatively calm Friday in mixed martial arts just turned into one of the craziest days of the year. Moments after UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor jumped into the cage at Bellator 187 and shoved referee Marc Goddard before slapping a security guard, news has come that another UFC superstar has been flagged for his […]

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A relatively calm Friday in mixed martial arts just turned into one of the craziest days of the year.

Moments after UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor jumped into the cage at Bellator 187 and shoved referee Marc Goddard before slapping a security guard, news has come that another UFC superstar has been flagged for his second potential USADA violation.

The UFC announced that Anderson Silva had been flagged in an out-of-competition sample and has been pulled from his main event bout versus Kelvin Gastelum at November 25’s UFC Shanghai:

“The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Anderson Silva of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected on October 26, 2017. As a result, Silva has been provisionally suspended by USADA. Due to the proximity of Silva’s upcoming scheduled bout at UFC Fight Night, Shanghai, China on November 25, 2017 against Kelvin Gastelum, Silva has been removed from the card and UFC is currently seeking a replacement.

USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Silva. Under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full and fair legal process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed. Additional information will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.”

If found guilty, the violation would be Silva’s second after he tested positive for anabolic steroids following his UFC 183 win over Nick Diaz, after which he was suspended for one full year.

‘The Spider’ will, of course, be afforded full due process, but with two violations on his record, he’s now heading into Jon Jones territory, so his legacy will understandably be called into question.

And at 42 years old, he’s running out of time to return from his latest mishap.

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Guess Which Fighter USADA Tested The Most This Year…

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has certainly ramped up the drug testing in the UFC since the two parties started working together in July 2015. We’ve seen multiple big name fighters get popped in recent months, and it’s unclear if this trend will continue. One big name fighter that tested positive for multiple banned

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The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has certainly ramped up the drug testing in the UFC since the two parties started working together in July 2015. We’ve seen multiple big name fighters get popped in recent months, and it’s unclear if this trend will continue.

One big name fighter that tested positive for multiple banned substances in 2015 was former longtime middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva, although the Brazilian legend was lucky enough to avoid the wrath of USADA given that his failed test came in January of 2015. That doesn’t mean that the third party testing organization hasn’t kept a close eye on him, however.

In fact, according to a chart constructed by Amy Kaplan of Champions.co, “The Spider” has been the most tested fighter of the year:

USADA chart

Longtime veteran Dan Henderson and reigning bantamweight king Dominick Cruz did not fall far behind Silva.

After failing his drug test surrounding his UFC 183 bout with Nick Diaz, Silva was suspended one year by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). He returned last February and dropped a somewhat controversial decision to current 185-pound titleholder Michael Bisping. The Brazilian then dropped another decision to light heavyweight king Daniel Cormier on just two days’ notice at July’s UFC 200.

Despite being tested quite often, Silva hasn’t had any more issues regarding failed drug tests, and at 41 years of age, it’s expected that he will indeed fight again.

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Video: Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping Battle Lines

An ultra-intriguing middleweight showdown will go down in just over a week, as legendary former champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva will meet Michael “The Count” Bisping in the main event of UFC Fight Night 84 on February 27, 2016 from the O2 Arena in London. Silva will be making his return from a one year

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An ultra-intriguing middleweight showdown will go down in just over a week, as legendary former champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva will meet Michael “The Count” Bisping in the main event of UFC Fight Night 84 on February 27, 2016 from the O2 Arena in London.

Silva will be making his return from a one year suspension after testing positive for multiple performance-enhancing-drugs (PEDs) surrounding his January 2015 bout with Nick Diaz.

Prior to that fight, “The Spider” had dealt with a gruesome leg injury suffered in his second consecutive loss to Chris Weidman at UFC 168.

A man many consider to be amongst the greatest mixed martial artists of all-time, Silva hasn’t won a fight since October 2012. At 40 years of age, however, the Brazilian is aiming to make one more run at the title he once held for nearly seven years.

Bisping on the other hand, is currently ranked No. 7, and has been relevant in the 185-pound division for years now. Always seeming to fall short when he reaches a top contender bout, this fight with Silva will be pivotal for the outspoken Brit.

With two straight victories over the likes of CB Dolloway and Thales Leites, “The Count” will look to keep his win streak going as he nears the title shot he has forever longed for.

As the event nears closer, take a deeper look into the build-up of the main event with UFC Battle Lines: Silva vs. Bisping below courtesy of the UFC:

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Luke Rockhold Has Proved Himself, Eyes Bout With Anderson Silva

It’s now been just under two months since former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold took out Chris Weidman via fourth round stoppage at December 12, 2015’s UFC 194 to become the undisputed UFC champion, but he’s still without an opponent for his first defense. All signs have been pointing towards a potential rematch with Weidman

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It’s now been just under two months since former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold took out Chris Weidman via fourth round stoppage at December 12, 2015’s UFC 194 to become the undisputed UFC champion, but he’s still without an opponent for his first defense.

All signs have been pointing towards a potential rematch with Weidman as of late, or perhaps a showdown with the winner of May’s Ronaldo Souza vs. Vitor Belfort bout would make sense.

While those are logical options, the American Kickboxing Academy product also has another name in mind, and a rather large one: legendary former 185-pound king Anderson “The Spider” Silva.

Rockhold recently claimed that it’s a fight he’s always been interested in, and now that he’s at the top of the mountain, he feels as if it’s a perfect time to make it happen:

“I’m very interested in that fight. That’s a fight I’ve wanted for a very long time,” Rockhold told FOX Sports about the possibility of facing Silva. “We were both reigning champions in the top two organizations. I had my sights set on it, they didn’t give it to me, they didn’t think I had earned or was worthy of it. I’ve proven myself now.

“Now we’ve got Anderson Silva asking for that fight. That’s what I’m all about.”

After suffering back to back losses and a broken leg to Weidman in 2013, “The Spider” returned in January 2015 to take on Nick Diaz, a bout he would come out victorious in after scoring a unanimous decision victory.

The decision was later changed, however, when Silva tested positive for multiple performance-enhancing-drugs, leading the Nevada State Athletic Commission to hand him a one year suspension.

Now free to compete, Silva is slated to take on long-time divisional mainstay Michael Bisping later this month at UFC Fight Night 84. With no clear contender in line, the winner of this bout could very well find himself gearing up for a shot at gold.

With that being said, Rockhold is confident nonetheless. No matter who the opponent is, the champion aims to dominate and force his opposition to fear him:

“These guys think they have a chance and I’m going to go out there a better fighter every time and make them not want that opportunity,” Rockhold said. “That’s what I want every time I go out there, I want guys to not even think about getting in there with me.

“I didn’t have my best performance last time so next time out, I’m going to make people fear me.”

Who would you like to see Rockhold take on next?

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