UFC superstar Anderson Silva has been suspended for one year for taking multiple banned substances.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission handed out a 12-month suspension to former UFC middle weight champion Silva after failed drug tests. The samples for the screening were taken before the fight as well as on the night of the fight against Nick Diaz at UFC 183 at the MGM Grand Garden in January.
The commission also fined Silva a total of $380,000, which includes $200,000 win bonus and 30 % of his $600,000 fight purse. Brazilian athlete’s victory over Diaz was turned into a no contest. He is eligible to fight again on February 1, 2016.
The Brazil mixed martial artist admitted taking Oxazepam as well as Temazepam. Silva stated that a physician in Brazil prescribed these drugs and used them for the first time last year after he injured his sciatic nerve during the training session. He also admitted that he took those sedatives again after the weigh-in on 30th January.
Silva testified taking a clear liquid substance that was in a blue vial given to him by a friend from Thailand. He expressed that he took it for sexual enhancement purposes. During the hearing, Silva referred the substance as either Cialis or Viagra; both are used to treat erectile dysfunction.
Silva’s Attorney Michael Alonso hired an expert in the anti-doping field to discover how the drostanolone appeared in the tests. The expert was provided with seven different substances that Silva took as supplements before the encounter. The substance in the blue vial tested positive for the anabolic steroid drostanolone.
The Brazilian holds the longest title defense streak in the history of the sport, which ended in 2013 with 16 consecutive wins and 10 title defenses. Nevertheless, he is considered as one of the best mixed martial artists of all time. IMAGE/dailymail.co.uk
