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Anderson Silva Defiant After Doping Violation Forced Him Off UFC Shanghai

MMA Weekly
Anderson Silva Defiant After Doping Violation Forced Him Off UFC Shanghai

Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva issued his first comments since being flagged for a potential UFC Anti-Doping Policy violation.

Silva was slated to meet Kelvin Gastelum on Nov. 25 in the UFC Shanghai main event. He was removed from the bout last week when the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency notified the UFC that Silva had been flagged for a potential anti-doping policy violation for the second time in his storied career.

Silva was first flagged in relation to his UFC 183 headlining bout with Nick Diaz in January of 2015. He was suspended for one year, fined upwards of $380,000, and his victory over Diaz was changed to a no contest result.

No details have yet been revealed as to the nature of this recent potential violation, but after being replace by Michael Bisping in the fight, Silva issued the following statement, indicating that he isn't prepared to let this latest incident end his career.

“Obviously, I think everything is part of a process of evolution, with each passing day, I can learn more about who I am. I’m here to thank all my fans, especially my coaches and all the contributors for this long journey. I can’t express my feelings and how sad I am, because we all invest love, passion and time in this camp, I don’t know exactly the plans of GOD for me, but anyway, I can only thank him and all of you, for the love and affection, nothing is more gratifying at this moment than having you by my side,” Silva wrote.

“I will not give up, much less stop doing what I love, not because of fame or money, it’s because I love to fight. So no matter what happens from now on, nothing changes, my plans are the same, nothing has changed.

“A big kiss for everyone and see you soon.”

Aside from being the second time Silva has been flagged for a potential anti-doping violation, this is the second time that a bout between Silva and Gastelum has been derailed because of a violation.

Silva and Gastelum had been slated to meet in the Octagon at UFC 212 last June, but Gastelum was pulled from the fight after testing positive to marijuana.

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Obviously, I think everything is part of a process of evolution, with each passing day, I can learn more about who I am. I’m here to thank all my fans, especially my coaches and all the contributors for this long journey. I can’t express my feelings and how sad I am, because we all invest love, passion and time in this camp, I don’t know exactly the plans of GOD for me, but anyway, I can only thank him and all of you, for the love and affection, nothing is more gratifying at this moment than having you by my side. I will not give up, much less stop doing what I love, not because of fame or money, it’s because I love to fight. So no matter what happens from now on, nothing changes, my plans are the same, nothing has changed. A big kiss for everyone and see you soon. . Obviamente, acho que tudo faz parte de um processo de evolução, a cada dia que passa, consigo aprender mais sobre quem sou. Estou aqui para agradecer todos os meus fãs, principalmente meus treinadores e todos os colaboradores nesta longa jornada. Não tenho como expressar meus sentimentos e o quanto estou triste, pois todos nós investimos amor, paixão e tempo neste camping, não sei exatamente os planos de DEUS para mim, mas de qualquer maneira, só posso agradecer a ele e a todos vocês, mais uma vez, pelo amor e carinho de todos, nada é mais gratificante neste momento do que ter vocês ao meu lado. Não vou desistir, muito menos parar de fazer o que amo, não é pela fama ou pelo dinheiro, é porque amo lutar. Então, independente do que acontecer daqui pra frente, nada muda, meus planos são os mesmos, nada mudou. Um grande beijo pra todos e nos vemos em breve. . #spiderkick @spiderkick

A post shared by Anderson "The Spider" Silva (@spiderandersonsilva) on Nov 14, 2017 at 6:42pm PST

 

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