NSAC again tables Wanderlei Silva re-hearing with new consent order

Wanderlei Silva

Wanderlei Silva’s fate with the Nevada State Athletic Commission remains undecided after the commission balked at reviewing a consent order the now-retired fighter’s rep presented today at a public hearing.

Silva’s re-hearing on a lifetime ban is now tabled until the commission’s next hearing, which is expected to take place next month.

Silva’s lawyer, Ross Goodman, told the NSAC he had negotiated a consent order – an agreement to resolve a dispute between two parties without admission of guilt – with Nevada Deputy Attorney General Chris Eccles, who’s represented the commission since the fighter was ensnared for evading a drug test in connection with UFC 175 in 2014.

But another legal rep from the state, Nevada Deputy Attorney General Vivienne Rakowsky, advised the commission not to hear the consent order and said it needed to be reviewed before the commission hears it.

The five-member NSAC then voted unanimously to table Silva’s re-hearing to the next meeting. Silva (35-12-1 MMA, 5-7 UFC), 39, was not present at the hearing. MMAjunkie has filed a public information request with the NSAC and the attorney general’s office for his consent order.

A judge ordered Silva’s case to be re-heard by the NSAC after overturning the lifetime ban, which was called “arbitrary and capricious.” Goodman argues the commission did not have jurisdiction to test the fighter because he was not licensed at the time of his random test. The commission has since revised its statutes to allow out-of-competition tests of unlicensed fighters.

Goodman previously told MMAjunkie he intends to appeal Silva’s case to the Nevada Supreme Court and needs the NSAC’s decision before he can do so.

Silva, a former PRIDE champ and beloved UFC competitor, has battled with the UFC in the wake of his ban, drawing a lawsuit from the industry-leader after alleging it participated in fight-fixing.

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