Former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva was notified of a potential USADA violation this past November, which marked the second drug test failure for the fighter.
There is now good and bad news for Silva, with the bad news being that the Brazilian has received a one year suspension from USADA and the good being that the suspension could've been a lot longer had USADA not deemed the substance that Silva failed for to be contaminated. The other negative for Silva was that the test failure cost him a main event slot against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Fight Night Shanghai last year.
Ariel Helwani of ESPN first reported the news, plus got the following statement from Silva's public relations team:
“I am vindicated. The past nine months have been extremely difficult. I felt like my career and everything I had worked so hard for was dying and my future was hanging in the balance. I knew in my heart that I had done nothing wrong and fully cooperated with USADA during their inquiry to prove it. Today I have a renewed energy. My legacy is restored. I can focus on getting back into the ring and the next chapter of my life after fighting.”
Silva's one year suspension is retroactive from the date of the test failure, which means the former middleweight champion is allowed to fight again on November 10 of this year.
