What started as a return to glory has morphed into a bizarre situation in which both main event fighters at Saturday’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 183 tested positive for drugs.
Former middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who is often touted as the greatest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter of all-time, tested positive for the steroid drostanolone during a random drugs test on Jan. 9, according to the UFC.
“Anderson Silva has been an amazing champion and a true ambassador of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts and the UFC, in Brazil as well as around the world. UFC is disappointed to learn of these initial results,” read a statement.
The 39-year-old Brazilian, who took more than a year off to heal a broken leg, had made a triumphant return to the sport after defeating Nick Diaz by unanimous decision.
Ironically, Diaz tested positive for marijuana after the bout.
The positive drugs tests sent shockwaves through the MMA community and one of UFC’s earliest stars, Tito Ortiz, placed part of the blame at the feet of promotion president Dana White.
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