Silva Sues CSAC

It was a litigious week for former EliteXC fighters and their representatives. Antonio Silva, the organization’s former heavyweight champion, filed a lawsuit against the California State Athletic Commission over his suspension due to a steroid test failure.

Silva is seeking a court ruling that would toss out the CSAC's one-year suspension of his fight license, a penalty levied in July after he tested positive for the steroid Boldenone. The lawsuit seeks to supersede the suspension and give Silva a fresh chance to prove his innocence, according to a report from Sherdog.com’s Loretta Hunt. Silva has maintained that the steroid test produced a false positive from an over-the-counter supplement he used called Novedex is known to produce. Silva is seeking to postpone a Feb. 10 commission hearing, where he faces revocation of his license for fighting in Japan on Jan. 4 while under suspension. The civil action marked the first time a fighter has gone outside of the commission’s appeal process and straight to the courts to resolve a suspension dispute.