TRT ban forces UFC headliner 'Bigfoot' Silva into surgery

BRASILIA, Brazil – For the past several years, testosterone replacement therapy has been one of the most controversial topics in the sport of MMA. Regulating the use of the hormone therapy proved such a challenging process that the Nevada State Athletic Commission in February banned the procedure, and UFC officials also followed suit.

But where does that leave Antonio Silva ahead of Saturday’s “UFC Fight Night 51: Bigfoot vs. Arlovski 2? event?

“It’s unfortunate that the good sometimes pay for the bad, but I’m going to keep fighting anyway,” Silva told MMAjunkie.

Brazilian slugger “Bigfoot” Silva, 34, suffers from acromegaly, a form of gigantism that occurs when the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone. Silva has dealt with the condition throughout his MMA career, and it will force him to undergo surgery later this month.

“Antonio’s acromegaly is caused by a cyst on the pituitary gland,” Silva’s longtime manager Alex Davis explained. “The only way to access it is through the nose – it’s underneath the brain. So after this fight, I’m going to have to take him from here to head surgery because of the ban on TRT.

“We’re taking a guy that really needed TRT and forcing him to do an operation, which he did not have to do otherwise.”

Silva’s procedure, in which the cyst will be removed, is scheduled for Sept. 22 at Hospital Das Clinicas de Brasilia, and the surgery will force him out of any contact in training for approximately two months.

“It’s not necessarily a risky procedure,” Davis said. “He’s going to be very well treated, but would you like to have someone operating on your head?”

Davis said prior to the TRT ban, radiotherapy could have been used as an alternative to such an invasive procedure. However, radiotherapy would also further lower Silva’s testosterone level, which is already well below the Mayo Clinic’s recommended average level for a man of his age of 250-1000 nanograms per deciliter.

“We could have done radiotherapy, but radiotherapy would possibly make his testosterone go even lower, so we can’t do that,” Davis saaid. “Surgery is the only option we have.

“For them to ban TRT for everybody because somebody else is misusing it is wrong. To me, it’s completely ridiculous. He really needs it. His testosterone level normally is 70. I think that he deserves and he should be able to be at the same level as any other normal human being.”

For his part, Silva is insisting he’s not currently at any disadvantage. After all, his lone career attempt at utilizing TRT resulted in a nine-month suspension when he tested positive for elevated levels following a “Fight of the Year” candidate draw with Mark Hunt this past December.

“From the time I found out I had this acromegaly condition in 2006, I did all my fights without any hormone replacement,” Silva said in his native Portuguese. “For the Hunt fight, I decided to request a usage exception. Let’s say I didn’t have good results with the replacement, so I’m going back to the way things were before, without any hormone replacement.”

Instead, Silva is doing his best to keep a positive attitude and seek alternate methods to deal with his condition in the wake of the NSAC’s decision.

“We’re trying to get similar benefits from the right nutrition and proper rest,” Silva said. “My medical diagnosis does indicate that I should be undergoing therapy, but if that’s not allowed, we’re finding other healthy ways. And once I retire, then I can certainly go on TRT and have a normal life.

“For now, I’ll keep fighting since that’s what I love to do.”

“UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Arlovski 2? takes place Saturday at Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in Brasilia, Brazil. The main event sees Silva (18-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) face former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (22-10 MMA, 11-4 UFC) in a rematch of their 2010 bout under the Strikeforce banner.

Christian Stein contributed to this report.

For more on UFC Fight Night 51, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.