Yahoo Sports Anderson Silva Also Fails UFC 183 Fight Night Drug Test
The Nevada Athletic Commission on Tuesday confirmed that Anderson Silva has failed a second drug test, his UFC 183 post-fight screen.
Silva’s post-fight drug test showed that he again tested positive for steroids, as well as anti-anxiety medication.
The steroid he tested positive for was Drostolanone, which is one of the anabolic steroid metabolites he tested positive for in a Jan. 9 out-of-competition drug test (the other was Androstane). He also tested positive for the anti-anxiety medications Oxazepam and Temazepam, which is used to treat sleep deprivation.
The anti-anxiety medication is not banned, but must be revealed on the medical questionnaire that all fighters are required to submit prior to a fight.
What makes the second positive for Drostolanone so damning is that Silva had undergone a second out-of-competition drug test on Jan. 19 that did not reveal any banned substances. In his comments to ESPN.com, Nevada Athletic Commission executive director Bob Bennett felt that indicated he may have used the steroid after the two out-of-competition tests, but within close proximity to his Jan. 31 bout with Nick Diaz, which he won.
> SEE ALSO: Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz Fail UFC 183-Related Drug Tests
“I can't speak for the [NAC] Chairman nor can I speak for the commissioners,” Bennett told ESPN.com. “But something I find particularly concerning is that [Silva] tested positive on Jan. 9 and then he tested negative on Jan. 19. If he took this orally, it only stays in your system 5-to-7 days.
“So, obviously, he used it sometime around Jan. 9 and then he used it shortly before the night of the fight. Whether the commission finds this egregious — that he tested positive twice out of three times — is up to them. I certainly find it concerning and unacceptable. It gives an unfair advantage to the person on that. God forbid, a serious injury were to occur to an opponent when someone is on something.”
For his part, Silva has denied taking any banned substances to give him an edge.
“I have not taken any performance enhancing drugs. My stance on drugs is, and will always be, the same. I’m an advocate for a clean sport,” he said in a statement to MMAWeekly.com.
> SEE ALSO: Anderson Silva Breaks Silence on Testing Positive for Steroids
Although the promotion removed Silva as a The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4 coach at the behest of the NAC, the promotion and company president Dana White have voiced support for Silva. White, however, has since admitted that Silva testing positive “really screwed me up for a few days.”
Silva's case is to receive an initial briefing before the Nevada Athletic Commission during a Tuesday afternoon meeting.
