Report: Anderson Silva to admit to banned PED use
According to a report from Brazilian outlet UOL, former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will admit to using the banned performance-enhancing drugs that he tested positive for leading up to and immediately following his Jan. 31 unanimous decision win over Nick Diaz at UFC 183.
Silva, an outspoken critic of fighters who use banned substances throughout his career, defended himself and denied wrongdoing after the positive tests were made public. And according to the report, Silva will state that he used PEDs to help his body recover from the broken leg he suffered in December 2013, rather than to gain an advantage in competition.
Silva tested positive for the steroids Drostanolone and Androstane, as well banned medications used to treat anxiety and sleep deprivation. He has been suspended from competition by the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) pending his yet-to-be-scheduled hearing and the commission's ruling on the length of his ban.
Silva's reported defense of his PED use would be unlikely to reduce his suspension, since one of the most common uses of banned steroids is to help athletes recover from injuries. Fighters who have tested positive for banned substances and then argued that they did it to recover from injuries have been met with little sympathy from athletic commissions over the years.
