'Bigfoot' Silva is confident in fighting ability following TRT ban: 'I had great performances without it'

Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva isn't worried about his performance level now that Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) has been banned from MMA competition. Coming off a nine month suspension due to a drug test that showed high levels of testosterone usage in the only time that he did the treatment, the Heavyweight contender told Brazilian media this week that he's sure he will have a good fight against Andrei Arlovski in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Arlovski 2.

"I had never done the TRT before that fight with Mark Hunt, I asked to do it just that one time. I had a major surgery on 2006 and I had great performances after that. Unfortunately, I had little success with TRT, the result wasn't the expected. But I'll work the same way, having a good feeding and supplementing. I had to do the TRT because of a proven health issue, not because of vanity, age or PED abuse in the past. I have a hypophysis disorder that increases the GH production and decreases the testosterone. But now there is this prohibition and it is what it is."

"Bigfoot" fought Mark Hunt last December on TRT, and the bout ended up a majority draw decision. Silva blamed Dr. Marcio Tannure for the exceesive testosterone dosage applied in his body but now prefers to not discuss the subject.

"Tannure to me is water under the bridge. If I see him today, I'll will treat him like an unknown person to me. I don't wish bad things for him, I just don't care for him anymore. I was upset about what happened because I did nothing wrong. But now I have to think about Arlovski."

Besides being former personal doctor of "Bigfoot", Tannure is the Medical Director of Confederação Atlética Brasileira de MMA (CABMMA), the regulatory commission of MMA competition in Brazil.

In his most notable wins over Fedor Emelianenko, Alistair Overeem, Travis Browne and in his first fight against Arlovski, Silva wasn't using TRT. He was caught with boldenone in 2006 and had a suspension of one year applied by California State Athletic Commission.