Anderson Silva, the onetime UFC pound-for-pound king, was suspended for one year Thursday afternoon for using banned substances.
Mr. Silva had tested positive for androsterone and for metabolites of the steroid drostanolone during pre-event testing before his January fight in Las Vegas at UFC 183 against Nick Diaz.
The one-year suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission was made retroactive to the fight, making the Brazilian middleweight legend eligible to return next February, though he will only be a few weeks short of his 41st birthday by then. He also lost his last two title fights to American Chris Weidman, an unsuccessful title defense and a rematch, meaning his career as a UFC headliner may now be over.
The result of the Diaz fight — a unanimous decision win for Mr. Silva — was vacated and the bout declared a no-contest because Mr. Diaz tested positive for marijuana.
According to a report by the SB Nation site Bloody Elbow, Mr. Silva invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when asked about a “blue vial” that contained a sexual performance supplement.
His camp had blamed that for his positive steroid tests, which resulted in many off-color jokes on MMA social-media sites. The Bloody Elbow report continued in that vein, noting how many cell-phone ringtones went off during the hearing that had sexually suggestive themes — “Let’s Talk About Sex” by Salt-N-Pepa, “It Wasn’t Me” by Shaggy and “Bump N’ Grind” by R. Kelly.
But the Portuguese-speaking Mr. Silva said through a translator that he had been misquoted and that it was a Thai supplement that had been given to him by a friend because it was unavailable in the U.S.
The Nevada Athletic Commission ridiculed that defense as “hokey” during Thursday’s hearing, Bloody Elbow reported.
Between the forfeiture of his win bonus and the standard purse-withholding over the failed test, Mr. Silva was fined a total of $380,000.
Mr. Silva was once the UFC’s top draw and most-feared fighter during his reign as world middleweight champion from 2006 to 2013. He defended his title 10 times, scored nine stoppages in title fights, and won seven “Knockout of the Night” honors — all records. On several occasions, he also made short work of light-heavyweight contenders.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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