Anderson Silva isn’t ready to walk away from the Octagon just yet.
While the former middleweight king is currently mired in controversy over failed drug tests leading up to and following his bout against Nick Diaz at UFC 183, it appears “The Spider” in…
Anderson Silva isn’t ready to walk away from the Octagon just yet.
While the former middleweight king is currently mired in controversy over failed drug tests leading up to and following his bout against Nick Diaz at UFC 183, it appears “The Spider” intends to press on.
The 39-year-old Brazilian striker is still yet to have his hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, who will undoubtedly hand Silva a suspension and fine for his infractions. Silva’s team recently asked for an extension with the NSAC, and until the hearing takes place, there is no way to set a possible timeline for when Silva could return to action.
Yet sources close to the former long-reigning 185-pound champion remain optimistic.
As Ariel Helwanireported on Wednesday’s installment of UFC Tonight, those close to Silva are saying he will not retire and believe he could back to competing inside the Octagon as early as New Year’s Eve. And while the fighter and his camp have posed several different approaches when news of his failed tests went public, it now appears the focus is being put on the pound-for-pound great’s eventual return.
Should Silva return after the inevitable layoff that is heading his way, it will mark another long stretch of absence from competing inside the Octagon. His bout against the former Strikeforce welterweight champion marked the end of a 13-month stint on the sidelines for Silva, who was recovering from a broken leg suffered in the second round of his rematch with champion Chris Weidman at UFC 168 in December of 2013.
Although Silva may ultimately return to compete under the UFC banner, just what impact the failed drug tests will have on his legacy remains to be seen.
While Silva himself has gone on public record multiple times since the results were issued to claim he’s never used performance-enhancing drugs, a series of test results say otherwise. This of course poses the question as to just how far back these transgression goes, and that doubt has the potential to mar what has otherwise been one of the most spectacular careers in the history of mixed martial arts.
Per Helwani‘s report Wednesday, it appears Silva is eager to press on with his career and continue to compete inside the Octagon, which is a subtle change from the uncertainty he showed toward his career following his victory over Diaz. Immediately following his bout at UFC 183, Silva addressed the media in the post-fight press conference and revealed his need to spend more time with his family.
While those sentiments likely remain intact, his current rough stretch of controversy seems to have motivated the former titleholder to keep his competitive fires burning.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
It’s been about two weeks since the greatest fighter in the history of combat sports tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
It’s been about two days since the Nevada State Athletic Commission penalized him for his actions. As things currently…
It’s been about two weeks since the greatest fighter in the history of combat sports tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
It’s been about two days since the Nevada State Athletic Commission penalized him for his actions. As things currently stand, Anderson Silva will not be allowed to compete inside of the cage for nine months.
Just days after the positive test was revealed, Silva made use of the proverbial pen in a fight for his reputation as a fighter who long advocated for a clean sport. He said in a statement:
I’ve been competing in this sport for a very long time. This is my 19th fight in the UFC. I have been thoroughly tested many times and have never had a positive drug test.
I have not taken any performance-enhancing drugs. My stances on drug is, and will always be, the same. I am an advocate for a clean sport.
I’m consulting with my advisors right now to explore all my options and intend to fight this allegation and clear my name. I will not make any further comments until my team advises me to do so.
Just one day after the UFC announced its renovated attempt at ridding its sport of all performance-enhancing drugs, Silva took to Instagram to defend his name once again. Here’s what Silva had to say:
IN RESPECT TO MY FANS
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.
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.
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, who tested positive for steroids in a Jan. 9 pre-fight test and post-fight test, will have a chance to present his argument at a disciplinary hearing that will likely be held in March or April.
Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report MMA. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec, and a programming intern at Fox Sports San Diego. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA.
As a bonafide Anderson Silva nuthugger (try not to picture that), I’ve been asking myself the same question for the past few weeks — “Why, Anderson, Why?” You were arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of our generation, maybe of all time. If Impossible was Nothing, nothing inside the cage was impossible. You, Anderson “The Spider” Silva, lived in some sort of netherworld between our world and The Matrix, where you made former champions look like amateurs and knocked out heavier men with a jab while backpedaling. Even on your worst night, you triangle-chocked victory from the loud-mouthed jaws of defeat. You were MMA’s first superhero, it’s first Superman.
Then you met your kryptonite. His name was Chris Weidman.
By CP Reader Steve Lowther
As a bonafide Anderson Silva nuthugger (try not to picture that), I’ve been asking myself the same question for the past few weeks — “Why, Anderson, Why?” You were arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of our generation, maybe of all time. If Impossible was Nothing, nothing inside the cage was impossible. You, Anderson “The Spider” Silva, lived in some sort of netherworld between our world and The Matrix, where you made former champions look like amateurs and knocked out heavier men with a jab while backpedaling. Even on your worst night, you triangle-chocked victory from the loud-mouthed jaws of defeat. You were MMA’s first superhero, it’s first Superman.
Then you met your kryptonite. His name was Chris Weidman.
This article is not about whether Silva was clowning around before Weidman knocked him out, and it won’t be about how well he was or wasn’t doing before snapping his leg in half on Weidman’s knee. It won’t be a defense of PED’s, either. It will be an attempt, probably in vain, to delve into the motivations of Anderson Silva, and why he did what he did — take steroids.
AN HONEST MISTAKE
This is the defense Silva is currently running with, and a part of me wants to believe him. He’s been fighting professionally since 1997 and not once had he failed a pre or post-fight test. Maybe Silva got some bad advice from someone close to him. Have you seen his strength and conditioning coach? He’s 57 and looks like Hercules’s favorite son. Maybe he gave Silva the blue pill instead of the red pill. Maybe Silva saw a fly-by-night doctor when he should’ve seen an accredited one. This argument is a loose one based almost solely on my nuthugging denial, but it helps me sleep better at night.
INACCURATE RESULTS
This is another part of Anderson’s current defense, “The results are wrong.” After all, he supposedly passed another pre-fight test, right (Ed note: Before failing his post-fight one)? Maybe test B’s results trump test A (Ed note: And C)? Physically, Silva doesn’t look like the ultimate-roided-fucking-killer steroids supposedly turn a man into, and I don’t know about you, but the man I saw beating Nick Diaz looked more like a tentative tactician, almost hesitant at times, not a machine gun of punches and kicks. Think about Anderson Silva in his prime, the one who lit up Chris Leben, Forrest Griffin, and Rich Franklin. Now think about that Anderson Silva on steroids. That guy I see in my head doesn’t look like the guy who beat Nick Diaz.
This wouldn’t be the first time a fighter has suffered the fallout of inaccurate testing (see: Cung Le). Although limited, there is precedent for inaccurate test results. If Anderson Silva doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt, who does?
HE JUST GOT CAUGHT
This is the most cynical theory, because it suggests that Silva was on the juice throughout his entire career and just got caught. It wouldn’t be the most outlandish theory — after all, Silva didn’t begin his climb to greatness until his early to mid 30′s, a time generally considered to the be the tail end of a fighter’s prime, if not the beginning of the downswing. This theory, however, begs the question: If Silva had been on PED’s of one form or another, How and why did he get caught just now? Laziness? Incompetence? I find it hard to believe that Silva, one of the most dedicated and disciplined athletes in MMA, would somehow botch his cycling routine on what may be his last fight. That would be a sign of incompetence. Silva is many things, but a fuck-up he is not.
THE PRESSURE
To me, this is the most likely reason for Silva’s actions. We all face pressure every day in our lives. Most of us, however, don’t carry the weight of a nation on our back every time we go to work (this statement not applicable to Conor McGregor). Although the win streak and the title were gone, I have a feeling the greatest pressure Anderson felt is not from his family or fans, not from the country that he fights for, but from himself. For a guy who fights despite objections from his family, the only pressure that could make a man like Anderson Silva continue to compete must come internally. And what else could that kind of pressure do?
A poor example: When I was younger, my brother and I used to play Tekken on the good old Playstation 1. I’d beat him every game. Every. Single. Game. Then one day he beat me. I was shocked. Then he beat me again. I hated him, instantly. “One more game,” I’d say until I won again, which I did the third time around. But that feeling, that need to avenge my loss, to not quit before tasting victory again, I experienced it at the smallest level. Could Anderson have experienced it at the highest?
THE PROBABLE REALITY
The sad thing is, we’ll never truly know why Anderson did what he did, why he decided to take steroids leading up to his fight with Diaz, of all people. He’d faced killers before, and on paper Nick Diaz was a walking punching bag, a gimme fight. Silva can argue test results all he wants, but the NSAC isn’t some shanty-lab in Hong Kong. The timing of the test results are suspect; the results themselves are not.
The question lingers: “Why, Anderson, Why?” Why risk tarnishing your legacy? Maybe Anderson was afraid to suffer that third loss. Maybe he was afraid to let down his fans and country yet again. Maybe he thought he needed that edge to perform, that kick-in-the-butt to get over the hump in rehab or in training. To me, his legacy as the greatest striker and arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of our generation will remain. Unfortunately for Silva, I seem to be the minority, and from this moment forward, like Barry Bonds, there will always be an asterisk next to Anderson Silva and his accomplishments.
If you didn’t happen to catch last night’s NSAC hearing because you don’t even work part-time for an MMA blog and have a life, then boy did you miss out (not really). Set to a soothing soundtrack of nearby construction work, the 3-hour meeting was as much of a non-factor as it possibly could have been. At one point, Pat Lundvall’s phone went off and it was the Benny Hill theme song. Seriously. It happened. Check out the “blooper reel” (a blooper reel!) above for another highlight.
And the NSAC themselves, my God (*kisses fingers*). In a meeting that was supposed to determine the fighting futures of Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz, the chairmen and women of the most frustratingly incompetent organization outside of a Comcast call center spent over an hour discussing the idea of placing a computer chip in MMA gloves in order to more accurately score fights. They spent another hour arguing about whether or not judges should be scoring fights with iPads, because penciling in a number between 8 and 10 is just getting too damn confusing. Did I mention the cosmic irony of the Benny Hill theme song?
But in the few moments when NSAC wasn’t struggling to take a piss without dribbling on their shoes, they did actually manage to reveal some information regarding Anderson Silva’s post-fight drug test. No spoilers, but it will breaka you heart.
If you didn’t happen to catch last night’s NSAC hearing because you don’t even work part-time for an MMA blog and have a life, then boy did you miss out (not really). Set to a soothing soundtrack of nearby construction work, the 3-hour meeting was as much of a non-factor as it possibly could have been. At one point, Pat Lundvall’s phone went off and it was the Benny Hill theme song. Seriously. It happened. Check out the “blooper reel” (a blooper reel!) above for another highlight.
And the NSAC themselves, my God (*kisses fingers*). In a meeting that was supposed to determine the fighting futures of Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz, the chairmen and women of the most frustratingly incompetent organization outside of a Comcast call center spent over an hour discussing the idea of placing a computer chip in MMA gloves in order to more accurately score fights. They spent another hour arguing about whether or not judges should be scoring fights with iPads, because penciling in a number between 8 and 10 is just getting too damn confusing. Did I mention the cosmic irony of the Benny Hill theme song?
But in the few moments when NSAC wasn’t struggling to take a piss without dribbling on their shoes, they did actually manage to reveal some information regarding Anderson Silva’s post-fight drug test. No spoilers, but it will breaka you heart.
In addition to testing positive for Drostanolone and Androsterone a month out from his UFC 183 headliner, Silva also tested positive for Oxazepam and Temazepam, two Benzodiazepines, in his post-fight test administered Jan. 31. Drostanolone metabolites were also present in his Jan. 31st sample.
Basically, Silva was on a cocktail of drugs that would’ve killed all of Van Halen. Oxazepam is a moderate anxiety drug, anticonvulsant, and skeletal muscle relaxant, while Temazepam is mainly taken to relieve insomnia. But here’s where it gets interesting; neither Oxazepam nor Temazepam are considered banned substances in *or* out of competition according to WADA standards. By failing to disclose that he was taking these drugs on his pre-fight medical questionnaire, however, Silva actually forced the NSAC to change their classification to a banned substance. MMAJunkie explains:
The medical questionnaire is part of the standard paperwork a Nevada licensee fills out prior to a contest. Among other things, it asks if a fighter has used “any medication, drug, cream, inhalant, or injection, whether prescription” or “over-the-counter” in the past month.
The paperwork can be used against a fighter if a substance that has not previously been approved by the commission — or is banned by WADA — is found in their urine or blood.
“Silva failed to disclose his use of one or more anabolic steroids and or one or more benzodiazepines, and thereby he provided false or misleading information to the commission or a representative of the commission,” the complaint, which MMAjunkie obtained, stated.
Of course, it’s the drostanolone metabolites still present in Silva’s system on fight night that should cause the most concern.
As for Silva’s punishment? Well, that’s still TBD. Silva, Diaz, and Hector Lombard were all handed “temporary suspensions” pending formal hearings to be held for each of them at a later date. Ashlee Evans-Smith, however, was handed a 9-month suspension and a 30% fine of her purse following her positive test for the banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (aka “flowers and weird sh*t) at UFC 181.
The UFC is planning to hold a meeting to “address a lot of issues” currently facing the promotion this afternoon, so swing by CagePotato at 1 p.m. EST for a live stream of the event.
I rented my first UFC event from the local Blockbuster video store back in 1999. I had seen many of the commercials advertising this No Holds Barred spectacle where “Two men enter, one man leaves”, and as a lifelong pro wrestling fan, I was interested to see this new entity. I paid $3.74 and went home with my VHS copy of UFC VI with visions of barbarism and gore dancing in my head, expecting to see nothing short of legalized murder.
What I got wasn’t far off. Immediately after seeing a portly bar brawler by the name of David L. “Tank” Abbott take eighteen seconds to knock a 400 lb. John Matua into a living death, I was hooked. I would go on to rent every single tape that I could get my hands on and started purchasing every PPV event I could (Ok, technically my girlfriend’s dad was unknowingly purchasing them but whatever…)
I mention this only to establish that I am not someone who is new to the UFC brand, nor am I what the hardcore fans would consider a “TUF Noob.” I was there when Frank Shamrock was ending hopelessly overmatched Russians in a matter of seconds. I was watching when Matt Hughes performed an unconscious powerbomb on Carlos Newton, beginning a reign of domination not yet seen in what would be referred to as the “New Era of Mixed Martial Arts.” I spent many of hours passionately defending the intricacies of Jiu Jitsu to my friends, who laughed and referred to talented fighters like Pat Miletich and Mikey Burnett as “a bunch of pantie grabbers.”
That being said, I want you to understand how much it pains me to make my next statement. As a loyal fan of the UFC, I must make the “Ultimate” sacrifice in order to help what I have loved so much for so long. I have to stop watching what has become one of my favorite forms of entertainment.
I have to stop watching UFC. Why, you ask? Well, let me tell you…
By CP Reader Scott Johnson
I rented my first UFC event from the local Blockbuster video store back in 1999. I had seen many of the commercials advertising this No Holds Barred spectacle where “Two men enter, one man leaves”, and as a lifelong pro wrestling fan, I was interested to see this new entity. I paid $3.74 and went home with my VHS copy of UFC VI with visions of barbarism and gore dancing in my head, expecting to see nothing short of legalized murder.
What I got wasn’t far off. Immediately after seeing a portly bar brawler by the name of David L. “Tank” Abbott take eighteen seconds to knock a 400 lb. John Matua into a living death, I was hooked. I would go on to rent every single tape that I could get my hands on and started purchasing every PPV event I could (Ok, technically my girlfriend’s dad was unknowingly purchasing them but whatever…)
I mention this only to establish that I am not someone who is new to the UFC brand, nor am I what the hardcore fans would consider a “TUF Noob.” I was there when Frank Shamrock was ending hopelessly overmatched Russians in a matter of seconds. I was watching when Matt Hughes performed an unconscious powerbomb on Carlos Newton, beginning a reign of domination not yet seen in what would be referred to as the “New Era of Mixed Martial Arts.” I spent many of hours passionately defending the intricacies of Jiu Jitsu to my friends, who laughed and referred to talented fighters like Pat Miletich and Mikey Burnett as “a bunch of pantie grabbers.”
That being said, I want you to understand how much it pains me to make my next statement. As a loyal fan of the UFC, I must make the “Ultimate” sacrifice in order to help what I have loved so much for so long. I have to stop watching what has become one of my favorite forms of entertainment.
I have to stop watching UFC. Why, you ask? Well, let me tell you…
The problems that currently plague the UFC have been well documented. Everything from shady drug testing practices to the embarrassing representation of the company stemming not only from its fan base but its key public figure in Dana White have taken its toll on the company and the sport as a whole. The promotion’s ever-depleting amount of star power (outside of Ronda Rousey), ever-increasing injury-plagued cards, and oversaturation of the market by holding a lackluster card every week?has tarnished?the reputation of this once great company.
It wasn’t so long ago that the UFC had seen an upward surge of momentum, which indicated that we were mere moments away from an era where it would be seen as one of the major sports leagues in the country. The Ultimate Fighter had convinced a large portion of the ever important demographic of males ages 18-35 to tune into the product. Brock Lesnar jumped from the WWE to the UFC to become the biggest draw the UFC had ever seen, headlining four of the top ten drawing Pay-Per-Views (including the #1 show, UFC 100) in the history of the company. FOX finally jumped on the UFC hype train in 2011, signing a seven year deal with the company. Everything was finally coming up Milhouse.
When looking at the company’s financial status today, however, it appears that the damage is finally starting to take its toll on the company. PPV numbers are in decline and the shows that are given away for free just aren’t drawing people to their television sets. Look at last weekend’s Fight Night 60, which inexplicably placed a fight between Dan Kelly and Patrick Walsh on the main card, resulting in one of the worst fights of the year. Look at this weekend’s Fight Night 61, the majority of which would be better placed on the undercard of a Bellator event. Look at UFC 184, a card so weak that it is arguably downgrading Ronda Rousey’s brand by forcing her to carry it. It’s 2015 and Fight Night: Maia vs. LaFlare is a thing that is happening.
So why isn’t anyone doing anything about this? It’s not like the evidence isn’t there, begging to be acknowledged by the powers that be. However, it seems that Dana white seems fit to make excuses for his terrible behavior by claiming that he knows better than the rest of us, much like the partner in an abusive relationship does when defending their behavior from last night’s dinner.
And much like the enabling partner in said relationship, we keeping coming back to that dinner table every night, hoping that one day the other will finally come to their senses. That if we just duck our heads and take our licks, our love and support for the promotion will finally shine through and convince them to make the changes necessary to heal the relationship.
But we all know that’s not how it works. If we as hardcore fans of the UFC want any real change to occur, we have to do what we hoped would never have to happen. We have to separate from the brand and stop supporting the behavior that has led us to where we are now. This is the only way that we can truly communicate to the UFC that enough is enough and it’s time for a change. We have to stop purchasing the pay per view events, no matter how bad we may want to see them or how well hyped the main event might be. We have to stop paying our monthly Fight Pass fees. We have to stop purchasing products from UFC sponsors. Most importantly, we need to contact said sponsors and let them know exactly why we won’t be buying their products no matter how bad our Dudes need Wiping.
Instead, we should spend the time and money that we would have normally invested elsewhere to continue to support MMA as a whole. Support the different MMA leagues around, be it your hometown group or one of the more known groups like World Series of Fighting or Bellator. Join an MMA gym and become one of the many hobbyists that populate the mats. Write an article for your favorite MMA blog who may be desperate for material allowing any blowhard to get posted (I’m looking at you, Cagepotato)
No matter how we decide to spend our extra time and money, it needs to not be anything that supports an organization who so willfully stares into the face of logic and reason and spits at it. As much as we all love MMA and its most widely known organization, the only way we will see any progress is if we stand up and say “I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore!”
So will you join me?! Probably not, but it’s something worth considering.
It’s fair to say Anderson Silva’s failed test prior to UFC 183 messed with all of our heads a bit.
UFC President Dana White is no exception to the rule.
“It screwed me up for a few days,” White told MMAjunkie after Saturday’s UFC Fight Night…
It’s fair to say Anderson Silva‘s failed test prior to UFC 183 messed with all of our heads a bit.
UFC President Dana White is no exception to the rule.
“It screwed me up for a few days,” White told MMAjunkie after Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 60 event in Broomfield, Colorado. “I was messed up for a few days after that. I’ve been a huge Anderson Silva fan, too. But we’ll talk about that on Wednesday.”
“Wednesday” is in reference to the UFC’s planned press conference where White and UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta are scheduled to not only touch upon Silva’s positive steroid test, but all the other recent positive tests as well.
But before the UFC can take center stage at its media conference in Las Vegas, all eyes will be on the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday, Feb. 17, when the commission will likely hand out suspensions for all fighters who’ve recently tested positive. Included in the 42 different topics outlined in Tuesday’s agenda (via MMAjunkie) are requests for temporary suspensions for Silva, Nick Diaz and Hector Lombard as well as a disciplinary hearing for Ashlee Evans-Smith.
Though it hasn’t been set in stone just yet, it’s safe to assume Tuesday’s hearings won’t induce any smiles from any of the fighters who’ve tested positive. White went as far as to say he expects “Lots of bad s–t” on Tuesday.
“We’re not going to be talking about fun things,” White told MMAjunkie. “We’ll address all the things that have happened lately, and what we’re going to do, and what’s going to happen from here on out.”
The UFC’s already had to remove Silva from The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4, per the NSAC‘s request.
Be sure to keep up with Bleacher Report for any and all of the breaking news that’s set to come out of both the Tuesday NSAC hearing and Wednesday UFC press conference.
Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report MMA. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec, and a programming intern at Fox Sports San Diego. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA.
Anderson Silva isn’t ready to walk away from the Octagon just yet.
