Former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva has been notified by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) of a potential violation and he has been pulled from the main event of UFC Fight Night Shanghai.
The potential violation came from an out of competition sample that was collected on October 26 and Silva has been provisionally suspended by USADA.
This would be the second potential drug test failure for Silva, who failed a test after UFC 183. The former middleweight champion was suspended for a year after that incident, there is no word on how long he may be suspended the second time around.
Anderson was scheduled to face Kelvin Gastelum in the main event. Ironically, it was Gastelum who was pulled from their initial meeting at UFC 212 due to a potential USADA violation.
Here is a statement from the UFC on the matter:
The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Anderson Silva of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected on October 26, 2017. As a result, Silva has been provisionally suspended by USADA. Due to the proximity of Silva’s upcoming scheduled bout at UFC Fight Night, Shanghai, China on November 25, 2017 against Kelvin Gastelum, Silva has been removed from the card and UFC is currently seeking a replacement.
USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Silva. Under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full and fair legal process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed. Additional information will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.
There is no word yet on what the substance the former UFC Middleweight Champion was flagged for by USADA.
Gastelum is expected to remain in the main event at this time because UFC officials are seeking a replacement for him to fight.
UFC Fight Night Shanghai takes place on Saturday, November 25 from the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China with Kelvin Gastelum and an opponent TBA headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which streams live on UFC Fight Pass.
