Former UFC middleweight champion and MMA legend Anderson Silva has been denying any usage of PEDs after he tested positive for banned substances in his out-of-competition and post-fight drug tests for his UFC 183 main event against Nick Diaz. With the next Nevada Athletic Commission hearing looming, Brazilian media site UOL reports that Silva is expected to admit his PED use to the commission in March. The UFC's official website later picked up the unconfirmed story and translated the report, which includes the planned explanation by Silva and his legal team of why he used drostanolone and androstane (the two anabolic steroids he tested positive for in his January 9th test).
"Silva will insist that his use of performance enhancing drugs wasn’t to gain an advantage on his opponent, but rather as an aid in his recovery from the broken leg suffered in his December 2013 loss to Chris Weidman. Lawyers will also argue that the amount of the substances found in his system were minimal, thus giving him no advantage over his January 31 opponent, Nick Diaz."
In the post-fight drug test, Silva again popped for drostanolone, but also oxazepam and temazepam, which are benzodiazepines used to treat problems such as anxiety (oxazepam) and insomnia (temazepam). While neither substance is banned by WADA, those would've had to have been approved by the Nevada commission before the Diaz fight. The report says that those drugs were prescribed by a physician after a November 2014 hospitalization.
"Silva will reportedly claim that the physician-prescribed drugs, which combined produce a calming effect similar to Valium, were intended to aid in his recovery from back spasms and muscle pain that began for him when he was hospitalized last November."
There is no current date set for the next NAC hearing. Silva is under a temporary suspension issued by the NAC earlier this month.