LAS VEGAS – UFC light heavyweight Thiago Silva (14-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) had his license revoked through Jan. 1, 2012, and was fined $33,750 following his admission to the Nevada State Athletic Commission that he knowingly used steroids and provided a synthetic urine sample in his pre-UFC 125 drug screen.
The result of his unanimous-decision win over Vera was also overturned to a "no contest."
Silva waived his right for an attorney and additional time to prepare a defense in favor of a speedy ruling at Thursday's NSAC monthly meeting, which took place at the Grant Sawyer State Office Building in Las Vegas.
"I'm here just to tell the truth," Silva said.
In March, Silva was served with a formal NSAC complaint after two separate urinalysis samples revealed a substance that was "inconsistent with human urine," which indicated that he "submitted an adulterated and/or substituted specimen for testing for the urinalysis." Silva's first test was flagged, which prompted further testing by the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory, which is accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
The Brazilian was accompanied to Thursday's hearing by his manager and friend, Eddie Miranda, who also served as an interpreter. However, Silva answered the majority of the commission's questions in English.
Silva admitted to twice taking a prescription steroid, delivered by a doctor via epidural, during the training camp for his Jan. 1 bout with Vera at UFC 125, which took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The Brazilian said he took the first dose 45 days prior to the bout and a second 30 days before the contest.
Silva admitted to the commission he knew the injections were in direct violation of NSAC regulations but said he felt compelled to cheat in order to support his family.
"I just want to apologize for what I did," Silva said following the conclusion of the prosecution's cut-and-dry presentation. "I did what I did because my back was very, very bad a couple months (before the fight). I had not fought for one year. I was completely broke. I have a family. People depend on my money. I was desperate to do something.
"I know what I did is wrong. Like I said, I'm so sorry. I had my reasons. People depend on my money, and I had to give them support."
Silva said the same back injury that forced him to withdraw from a planned UFC 117 fight with Tim Boetsch again became an issue while preparing for Vera, and he could not afford to withdraw from another fight. Citing the pain caused from three herniated discs, Silva said he turned to a doctor to administer the steroids and then provided a "fake" urine sample, which he said he purchased on the Internet from ClearTest.com approximately two weeks before the UFC 125 bout.
Silva testified that he simply turned his back to the NSAC inspector, opened a container of synthetic urine that he had kept hidden in his shorts and dumped the contents in the testing vial.
Silva, who defeated Vera via unanimous decision, was paid a $55,00 purse for the fight, as well as an additional $55,000 win bonus.
NSAC commissioners originally recommended a fine of one-third of Silva's "show" purse, as well as his entire win bonus, but citing the Brazilian's "candor and honesty" eventually settled on 25-percent of his purse ($13,750) and $20,000 of the win bonus for a total fine of $33,750.
Silva dodged a bit of a bullet with his suspension, as NSAC executive director Keith Kizer recommended the 12-month suspension begin with Thursday's hearing rather than the more traditional procedure of backdating the first day of the suspension to the date of the fight in question.
Kizer cited Silva's reluctance to fess up to the charges until his "B" sample returned with the same findings as the first test. However, the commissioners instead elected to reward Silva for his belated admissions and chose to stick with the traditional routine. Silva is eligible to reapply for a license on Jan. 2, 2012, and he will have to provide a drug-free (and authentic) urine sample.
Following the hearing, Silva declined to comment to MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com).In addition to the ruling on Silva, the NSAC also admitted a need for increased attention to detail in their drug-screening procedures.
"I have to say I think as a commission we have to take responsibility for the way this process works," commissioner Francisco Aguilar stated at the conclusion of the hearing. "Had our inspectors been doing the job that they are hired to do and are expected to do by this commission, this would have never happened.
"I think we have to look at ourselves, and we have to look at the process, and we have to look at our inspectors to make sure we have the best inspectors in that room, who are willing to forego the social aspect of a fight and be there to do a job."
Silva's case is the first involving an MMA athlete using fake urine since late 2006, when Kevin Randleman attempted to conceal his use of prescription medication in a test administered after his submission loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at PRIDE 32. Randleman was fined $5,000 of his $40,000 purse and also had his license revoked. "The Monster" has yet to reapply.
http://mmajunkie.com/news/23148/ufc-light-heavyweight-thiago-silva-fined-33750-license-revoked-12-months.mmaSo the UFC still paid him in full for the Vera fight,I'm abit surprised by that,especially with them still honoring the win bonus.
It sounds like he's really going to be struggling then,if the reason he did it in the 1st place was because he was broke.
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