Former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva was notified of a potential USADA violation a short time before he was supposed to fight Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Fight Night Shanghai.
Chris Weidman is another former UFC Middleweight Champion and the fighter believes that Silva has tarnished his legacy if the potential second failed drug test is confirmed.
“Yeah, it definitely tarnishes his legacy,” Weidman told MMA Fighting. “You fail a drug test, your whole career is in question, in my opinion. And he failed them now twice. So definitely it tarnishes his legacy. I don’t know what else to say about that. It’s just another one bites the dust. It’s one after another. Literally almost every guy I ever fought at this point has failed a drug test.”
Weidman and Silva fought each other twice in UFC competition, with Weidman winning both times at UFC 162 and UFC 168.
The former middleweight champion alleges that steroids are easier to obtain in Brazil, which is why so many Brazilians are failing drug tests.
“I’m not really that surprised,” Weidman said. “After the first one and now this one. He’s older now. I don’t know. I’m not super surprised. In Brazil, I know the steroids are very easy to get. A lot of guys were probably on them a long time. I’m not super surprised. The reality is that it definitely tarnishes his legacy. All these guys are on it. Even Lyoto Machida failed a drug test. I didn’t think he was that guy. All the guys — Yoel Romero, Vitor Belfort. Go on Sherdog and look at my record. Literally almost every single guy I ever fought has failed a drug test.”
Silva could receive an eight year suspension from USADA, but no ruling has been given on the fighter’s future at this time.
