UFC superstar Anderson Silva provisionally suspended following doping test

ANDERSON SILVA, ONE of the most celebrated names in the UFC, has been suspended following an out of competition doping test.

The UFC announced on Friday night that there was a potential violation in the test conducted by the US Anti-Doping Agency last month and that the Brazilian has been provisionally suspended.

Silva, 42, was due to return to the Octagon on 25 November in Shanghai to headline the organisation’s first-ever Chinese card against Kelvin Gastelum.

“Due to the proximity of Silva’s upcoming scheduled bout…, Silva has been removed from the card and UFC is currently seeking a replacement,” the organisation said in a brief statement.

It added: ”Under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full and fair legal process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed.”

Silva previously held the record for most consecutive UFC title defences – 10 – which was broken by Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson in October, and has widely been hailed as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.

However his legacy has been tarnished by a one-year doping suspension which he served after testing positive for drostanolone and androsterone in 2015, which Silva blamed on a ‘sexual enhancement supplement’.

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