The Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended Wanderlei Silva on Wednesday for three years, per Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting. According to Heidi Fang of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the suspension is retroactive to May 24, 2014.
The NSAC had previously suspended Silva for life before a Nevada judge overturned the decision last May.
The issue dates back to May 2014, when Silva refused to be randomly drug tested ahead of his potential fight with Chael Sonnen at UFC 175. Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith highlighted an example similar to Silva's situation which drew a relatively severe punishment:
In addition to avoiding the drug test, Silva's attorney, Ross Goodman, confirmed in a June 2014 hearing with the NSAC that Silva started taking diuretics in order to rehab his injured wrist, per UFC.com. Goodman added that Silva was worried the diuretics would raise a red flag following a drug test:
In an interview with MMA Fighting's Guilherme Cruz in April 2015, Silva argued against out-of-competition drug testing:
If I’m going to fight you today, I have to be clean today. There are anti-inflammatories and painkillers that are considered doping, but are not. I’m against steroids. Steroids are bad. But the fighter has a right to do anything he wants out of competition. That’s his right. You can’t get into his life and take his blood to see what he’s doing. I’m against all types of drugs and steroids, but the athlete has the right to have a private life. He has to be clean on the day of the competition. Out of competition, that’s his life.
Further complicating matters was his contractual dispute with the UFC. He claimed in July 2015 he had evidence the company fixed fights but subsequently recanted the allegations in January. Shortly thereafter, the UFC released him from his contract, allowing him to join another organization.
Silva is 39 years old, and his last fight came in March 2013, and this suspension will only make it more difficult for him to get a fight in the future. He could potentially compete for an overseas organization that wouldn't recognize the ban, but his days fighting in North America might be over.
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