Video: Nevada commission grills Anderson Silva over use of 'sexual stimulant'

LAS VEGAS – If you’re a world-class MMA fighter who’s subject to year-round drug testing, would you ingest a clear liquid from a blue vial that was brought back by a friend from Thailand?

That’s what the Nevada State Athletic Commission asked of former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva on Thursday during his disciplinary hearing in Las Vegas.

Silva (33-6 MMA, 16-2 UFC) ultimately was issued a 12-month suspension, a $380,000 fine, and his Jan. 3 win over Nick Diaz (26-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC) was overturned and changed to a no-contest.  Additionally, he is required to reimburse the NSAC for attorney and testing fees.

Silva tested positive for multiple banned substances (including a pair of anti-anxiety meds), but on Thursday, much of the focus was on drostanolone metabolites and methyl androstane, a form of endogenous testosterone, that were found in his system.  The 40-year-old MMA vet blamed it on the “sexual stimulant” he said he got from his former training partner.

Commission reps, though, were unmoved by his defense and argued Silva was “playing games” with “all this soft testimony” as he denied knowingly taking steroids.

Check out the full video above.

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