Coming in last for one major reason is Wanderlei Silva. The reason: Silva didn't technically test positive for anything, but that's only because he ran out on a drug test earlier this month. The surprise drug test by the NSAC scared Silva so badly that he ran out the back door of his gym. Frankly, when Chael Sonnen, who was to be his opponent at UFC 175 in July, broke the news, we were all sceptical. Chael, after all, is a shameless self-promoter. Then it came out that Silva was out of the fight. He denied the accusation that he dodged the test, saying in a video released to fans that his poor English skills left him unable to understand the sample collector who came to his gym on the day in question. That all sounds reasonable, right? The only problem is, on January 17th, 2014, at an NSAC hearing, Silva would admit to dodging the test, simply because he knew he'd test positive anyway. He also admitted to being on diuretics, which are banned by the NSAC and other athletic commissions as a masking agent. In the eyes of the NSAC, a test dodged is essentially a positive, and the fact that Silva admitted to taking a banned substance seals the deal. While he may have had a good reason to be on them (he claimed to be taking them to reduce inflammation in a fractured wrist), an athlete needs to be aware of what he's taking at all times, and find alternatives. Silva basically admitted that he was aware, but took them anyway, not expecting to be tested until closer to his fight.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
