Anderson Silva will be ready to return to the UFC this fall after USADA confirms that the former UFC champ took contaminated supplements.
Silva’s suspension was limited to one-year after it was determined that the supplement taken was contaminated due to a compounding pharmacy.
Via USADA release:
Silva tested positive for the methyltestosterone metabolites 17α-methyl-5β-androstan-3α,17β-diol and 17α-methyl-5α-androstan-3α,17β-diol, as well as hydrochlorothiazide, following an out-of-competition urine test conducted on October 26, 2017. Methyltestosterone is a non-Specified Substance in the class of Anabolic Agents, while hydrochlorothiazide is a Specified Substance in the class of Diuretics and Masking Agents. Both of these substances are prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.
Following notification of his positive test, Silva provided USADA with an open container of a compounded dietary supplement product he was using at the time of his positive test. Although no prohibited substances were listed on the supplement label, testing conducted by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Salt Lake City confirmed the presence of methyltestosterone and hydrochlorothiazide in the product. Thereafter, in the course of its broader investigation into Brazilian compounding pharmacies, USADA independently sourced numerous supplement products from the same compounding pharmacy that prepared Silva’s contaminated supplement. The analysis of those products by the Salt Lake City laboratory confirmed that they were similarly contaminated with prohibited substances, including multiple anabolic agents and diuretics.
The UFC Anti-Doping Policy states that there may be a reduction in a sanction if an athlete’s positive test was caused by a contaminated product. USADA took into consideration that this was Silva’s second doping violation with the first coming from the Nevada Athletic Consideration in 2015 after his fight with Nick Diaz at UFC 183.
Silva is able to return on November 10, 2018. He is the fourth UFC fighter to have been flagged for a banned substance and then suspended only for the resolution being the issue with the pharmacy.
Payout Perspective:
This is another case where it seems unfair that the athlete has to be subject to suspension due to third party fault. Fortunately for Silva, he retained a container of the dietary supplement. This was also While it is the ultimate responsibility of the athlete to determine what they ingest, compounding pharmacies seem to give pause to this rule. Junior dos Santos returned to action Saturday after suspension due to ingesting a supplement from a compounding pharmacy. At 43, Silva’s time in the UFC is limited and serving a suspension due to unforeseen circumstances seems unfair for the athlete.
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