Former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva was recently notified by USADA of a potential failed drug test.
Michael Bisping is a former middleweight champion and opponent of Silva, but he says the legendary Brazilian has ruined his legacy with this potential drug test failure.
“This completely destroys his legacy, in my opinion,” Bisping said on a UFC Fight Night Shanghai media conference call. “There’s a lot of people who have short memories and they’ll just remember his performances. His performances were great. But if you test positive for steroids twice — once, you can try to talk your way out of it; twice, I think the nail’s in the coffin. The guy was a cheat and it’s shame. It’s really, really disappointing. I was a huge fan of Anderson Silva. It’s just disappointing and it’s a black eye for the sport of MMA.”
Bisping is replacing Silva against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Fight Night Shanghai, marking his return to the country for the first time since defeating Cung Le a few years back.
Speaking of his last trip to China, the former middleweight champion says he has fond memories of his time in the country.
“I’ve got fond memories of fighting in China in the past,” Bisping said. “I fought Cung Le and beat the piss out of Cung Le out there, who has a lot of similarities (to Gastelum). He’s a southpaw, he’s shorter guy, he’s a stockier guy with good, explosive striking and actually not bad wrestling. It went well, so I’ve got good memories and hopefully it goes well again. We’ll see. No doubt Kelvin has applied himself and we’re going to see a great version. He was fighting Anderson Silva; everybody always gets up for Anderson Silva, so I’m not expecting an easy fight.”
UFC Fight Night Shanghai takes place on Saturday, November 25 from the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China with Michael Bisping and Kelvin Gastelum headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which streams live on UFC Fight Pass.
