Anderson Silva
One of the sport’s true all-time greats, Silva appears willing to tarnish his legacy in his pursuit of longevity. Faced with a possible anti-doping violation, “The Spider” on Nov. 10 was pulled from his scheduled headliner against Kevin Gastelum at UFC Fight Night 122 in Shanghai, China. The former middleweight champion’s failed test came from an out-of-competition sample collected on Oct. 26. As a result, “The Spider” was provisionally suspended by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. He was ultimately replaced on the Nov. 25 card by Michael Bisping. Silva is entitled to a full legal review process before any sanctions are imposed. The 42-year-old Brazilian previously tested positive for two different anabolic steroids -- drostanolone metabolites and androstane -- prior to a January 2015 bout against Nick Diaz at UFC 183. He also tested positive for oxazepam, an anxiety medication, and temazepam, an anti-insomnia medication, in a post-fight drug test, along with drostanolone metabolites again. Silva claimed that a tainted sexual-enhancement pill resulted in the positive test, but he was still suspended one year by the Nevada Athletic Commission.
Continue Reading » Willing Villain