UFC's Wanderlei Silva confident he won't be punished

Despite running from a drug test, lying about it and then admitting to using banned substances, UFC fighter Wanderlei Silva is confident that he'll be the next fighter to go un-punished by the Nevada Athletic Commission for drug test irregularities. Vitor Belfort was recently essentially allowed to regulate himself when he failed a drug test earlier this year (his second in Nevada), removed himself from a title fight, attempted to cover up the drug test until a Yahoo! Sports report revealed that the test results were soon to be released, then re-applied for a license and was granted one with ease and then handed a title shot by the UFC.

So, it may not be too surprising that Silva also has confidence that he'll go unpunished by the world's top fight regulator when he gets his next hearing August 21. In a recent interview, Silva seemed to be alluding to a possible defense that the NAC did not, or does not have jurisdiction over him because he is not currently licensed and was not when they attempted to test him in May.

"I’m already preparing my defense," Silva told said. 

"There’s not much to be done, there’s no legislation over me. I don’t have a license and I’m not committed to fight in any event at the moment. I will do my defense and, as soon as I have [a fight] coming up, I will do the test and prove that I’m clean to get my license."

Of course, when Silva did run from the test, he had a well-publicized fight scheduled with Chael Sonnen in Nevada and was undoubtedly set to apply for a license with the commission. So, they were well within their rights and responsibilities to test the Brazilian.

Of course, there's no telling what will happen with Silva's case, with Nevada's erratic and hidden decision-making process, of late. So, the "Axe-Murderer" is free, for now, to continue to make dillusional-sounding plans.

"I want to fight in December, at the end of the year," he announced.

"They always do big events at the end of the year, and this fight could happen anywhere. I will be ready. I would like to fight in Brazil, but we can fight in Japan or even in the United States. But if it really is against Dan Henderson, I would like it to be in a soccer stadium in Brazil."

A fighter can dream, can't he? And, fight fans can certainly then groan.

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