Silva Admits to Altering Urine, Will Accept NSAC's Ruling

UFC light heavyweight contender Thiago Silva has admitted fault in submitting his UFC 125 drug screen.

The American Top Team product today issued a statement regarding a complaint filed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday. After Silva's “A” sample was flagged by the commission following Silva's dominant victory over Brandon Vera at UFC 125 on New Year's Day, the fighter's “B” sample produced inconclusive results.

After further examination, it was determined that Silva's second sample was “inconsistent with human urine” and the commission therefore believed that the fighter had submitted an “adulterated and/or substituted specimen for testing.”

With a preliminary hearing set for April 7 to discuss a temporary suspension, the fighter is entitled to 20 days to respond to the commission's complaint from the date it is filed. Silva took only one day to issue his response:

“We make decisions every day of our lives. Some are good and some are bad,” Silva wrote. “When you make a bad decision, you can either make the situation worse by trying to cover it up or lie about it or just stick your head in the sand and refuse to acknowledge it even happened, or you can own up to it with an honest explanation, accept the consequences of your actions, apologize to the people affected by it, learn from it and move on. I’m choosing the second option.

“I used a urine adulterant when giving a sample following my fight with Brandon Vera. I did so in an attempt to alter the results of the test and knowingly broke the rules of the Nevada Athletic Commission. This was a terrible decision on my part for which I will be punished. I am prepared to accept this punishment, learn from it and move on. I apologize to the commission, the UFC, Brandon Vera and the MMA fans.”

Silva explained his circumstance, citing a recurring back injury that plagued him one year ago in his loss to Rashad Evans.

“I reinjured my back 45 days before the fight with Brandon Vera. After not fighting for a year, I made the decision to not pull out of the fight. I also decided that the only way I could continue with the fight was to take injections in my back and spine that contained substances prohibited by the Nevada Athletic Commission. I also made the decision to use a product to hide the presence of these substances in a urine test.”

The Brazilian went on to explain that he acted independently and without the knowledge of his trainers or anyone else out of the fear that he would not be allowed to fight, though Silva then acknowledged that withdrawing from the fight would resulted in a better outcome than the situation in which he currently finds himself.

“Again, I take full responsibility for making the decision to break the rules and try to cheat the system. I will accept the punishment I receive and will learn from this. I plan to come back as a better person and professional as a result.”