Coach: Anderson Silva would never use PEDs ‘in a dirty way’

Anderson Silva tested positive for four banned substances in two different drug tests for his UFC 183 bout against Nick Diaz, but his boxing coach Luiz Carlos Dorea is convinced that Silva is innocent.

"The Spider", who tested positive for drostanolone and androstane on Jan. 9, and oxazepam, temazepam and drostanolone in a post-fight drug test on Jan. 31, received a temporary suspension from the Nevada Athletic Commission.

Dorea, who has been part of Silva’s camp for years, says that the former middleweight champion would never take anything illegal to have an advantage over Diaz.

"I’m really sad because I know Anderson for years and I know he’s a very respected and straightforward man," Dorea told Globo Esporte. "Personally, I don’t know what happened. I know Anderson was always a clean guy, very clear. Anderson works hard, he came from humble origins. I don’t know what happened. But I tell you that Anderson would never take that in a dirty way. He would never use anything."

Silva’s fight with Diaz was his first in the Octagon since suffering a gruesome leg injury against Chris Weidman in 2013, and Dorea revealed that the UFC fighter was using corticoid after the leg break.

"We are all really sad. He’s the biggest MMA athlete of all times. He’s a correct man, would never do anything to have an advantage. He’s pure talent, he doesn’t need that," he said. "I know he was taking some medication, corticoid. I don’t know which substance.

"I don’t believe he was taking medication to have an advantage. Maybe there was a problem with that, if that existed, some corticoid, something that contained a prohibited substance. That’s what I believe.

"That’s not who he is. He’s an athlete that came from humble origins, who loves to train, a really disciplined athlete inside and outside the Octagon. He has a whole team behind him. He would never do anything to damage himself, to destroy everything he built for many years."

According to a report from UOL, Silva will admit the use of performance-enhancing drugs, but only to help him heal his broken leg. As for oxazepam and temazepam, the UFC fighter will claim that those substances helped him recover from back spasms and muscle pain after being hospitalized with back pain in November.

On his Instagram page on Feb. 20, Silva wrote that he never used banned substances to boost his performance:

"I will not say anything about who I am or what I went through to get here. What matters to me now is the respect from those who have followed my career. I bled, struggled and fought because I love it and because I always wanted to honor the flag of the country I love so much.

"I don't know what to apologize for, because I am still waiting for the results and analysis from the specialists that are working to reveal the truth. Everything that I took since my injury are being analyzed. I look for the truth as much as all those who were surprised with the results. I always played clean, I was never a cheater.

"In eighteen years of my career, I never had a problem with exams. In and out of the Octagon I never slipped in compliance with the principles that always guided me. With much honor and dignity I defended my country where ever I fought.

"I never used any substances to better my performance in my fights. I love what I do and I would never risk what I took so long to build. I think that the hurry some people have to condemn me is unfair.

"The time it takes to destroy a reputation is infinitely less than that is taken to build it. I am the one who is most eager to settle this situation. I want those who have always supported me to know that I am still fighting for all the sad happenings of this situation to be cleared."

There is no date set for the next Nevada Athletic Commission hearing.