Anderson Silva: 'I always played clean, I was never a cheater'
In the wake of two separate drug tests that returned positive results for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva made only his second public statement on the matter while once again proclaiming his innocence.
Silva has been quiet for the most part since the first results were revealed in early February that showed the fighter failed a Jan. 9 test administered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission with traces of two different steroids -- Drostanolone and Androstane -- in the fighter's system.
Just days ago, a second drug test was returned from Jan. 31 on the night of his fight and win over Nick Diaz that showed Silva was positive once again for Drostanolone as well as two anti-anxiety medications that he failed to tell the commission about on his pre-fight license application.
On Friday, Silva broke his silence with a lengthy post via Instagram standing by his original statement that he's not guilty, although this time he says he will be testing all of the supplements and products he took during his training camp in regards to two different tests returning positive.
"I will not say anything about who I am or what I went through to get here," Silva wrote. "What matters to me now is the respect from those who have followed my career. I bled, struggled and fought because I love it and because I always wanted to honor the flag of the country I love so much.
"I don't know what to apologize for, because I am still waiting for the results and analysis from the specialists that are working to reveal the truth. Everything that I took since my injury are being analyzed. I look for the truth as much as all those who were surprised with the results. I always played clean, I was never a cheater."
Prior to the two tests that came back positive surrounding his fight with Diaz at UFC 183, Silva had never tested positive for any PEDs.
The former pound-for-pound king is currently under a temporary suspension from the Nevada commission until a formal hearing can be scheduled in either March or April.
Silva says after a lifetime of building a career where many regarded him as the best fighter of all time, he would never do anything to jeopardize his legacy. In an instant since the test results became public, however, Silva's entire career has been tarnished.
"In 18 years of my career, I never had a problem with exams. In and out of the Octagon I never slipped in compliance with the principles that always guided me. With much honor and dignity I defended my country where ever I fought," Silva said. "I never used any substances to better my performance in my fights. I love what I do and I would never risk what I took so long to build.
"I think that the hurry some people have to condemn me is unfair. The time it takes to destroy a reputation is infinitely less than that is taken to build it. I am the one who is most eager to settle this situation. I want those who have always supported me to know that I am still fighting for all the sad happenings of this situation to be cleared."
Silva will now wait for final word from the commission when his disciplinary hearing can be scheduled and at that time he will have the chance to present his own defense on the charges levied against him. Silva has the right to have both samples taken from Jan. 9 and Jan. 31 re-tested at his own cost, but as of yet the former champion has not made that request.
