Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva remains on suspension while awaiting the outcome of a positive drug test that knocked him out of his last scheduled fight against Kelvin Gastelum in Nov. 2017.
While Silva could face a stiff suspension as a result of the violation of the UFC’s anti-doping policy, the longest reigning middleweight champion in company history promises that his career is far from finished.
At 42, it would appear that time isn’t on Silva’s side but he says he’s not going anywhere until it’s clear he can’t compete any longer.
“You can be sure it’s not over yet,” Silva wrote on Instagram. “My love and my passion for the fight are here, firm and strong. The fight continues, I will stop when God thinks I cannot do it anymore.”
Silva hasn’t said much since his positive drug test was revealed last year while he’s still waiting on USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) to come to a resolution on his case.
Silva had previously been suspended for one year after he tested positive for a pair of anabolic steroids following his fight against Nick Diaz in 2015.
Because of Silva’s history with performance enhancing drugs, it’s possible that USADA could slap him with a much longer suspension than the maximum two years allowed in a first offense for an athlete.
Instead, Silva could face up to a four year suspension for the anti-doping infraction, which would almost certainly lead to the end of his career. Then again, Silva seems confident that he will fight again regardless of the pending case against him by USADA.