UFC 183 Main Event A No Contest; Anderson Silva Fined
It’s been a surreal week for the MMA community, as we’ve watched one of the all-time greats of the sport seemingly fall from grace. In a strange twist of fortunes, former UFC middleweight Anderson Silva has gone from idolized legend to drug cheat in the space of one huge news story. That story was that “The Spider” was found with two anabolic steroids in his system.
Perhaps even more alarming was the fact the dope test was done three weeks prior to his January 31st return to the octagon, and weren’t made public until the days after his five-round decision victory. We’ve questioned whether Silva’s UFC 183 main event win should be overturned, and NSAC (Nevada State Athletic Commission) executive director Bob Bennett says it will be; As per a report on Globo, and translated by yours truly:
The victory of the Brazilian fighter Anderson Silva last Saturday , on the American Nick Diaz in the main event of UFC 183 , should be repealed and transformed into ” No Contest ” ( no avail fight). The information was given by Bob Bennett , executive director of the State Athletic Commission of Nevada ( NSAC ) , to the newspaper ” Folha de S. Paulo ” on Thursday night. The commission was the governing body of the tournament. Yes, (the result ) will change to ” No Contest. I don’t know if he will receive the win bonus after this change. That’s UFC’s call, but a percentage of his purse will be held because of this episode.”” – Bennett said to the journal .
So the UFC 183 main event, shrouded with controversy and disappointment, is going to be ruled a no-contest. Obviously this would change if it were discovered that Silva’s test was inaccurate, but does anybody still believe that’s going to happen? Is it finally time we all actually get our heads round the fact that “The Spider” was doping, or is there more to this case?
Both Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz will stand before the commission on February 17th, where it’s likely they will both be temporarily suspended while the NSAC investigates the case, should it be required. The Stockton bad boy failed a dope test for Marijuana, marking the third time he has been popped in his storied career.
We’ll keep you updated to this ever-growing story as it develops.
