It seems like Wanderlie Silva's retirement would really have to push through as the Nevada Athletic Commission has made a decision on his case and had banned the UFC fighter for a lifetime coupled with a $70,000 fine.
Silva was not in attendance when the commission voted unanimously to render judgment but he was represented by his attorney, Ross Goodman.
The case was with regards to when Silva was subject to a random drug screening in Nevada ahead of his scheduled bout with Chael Sonnen at UFC 175, but ran from the testers.
Deputy Attorney General Christopher Eccles recommended to the commission upon Commisioner Pat Lundvall's request that the sanction for Silva should be severe.
He said "I'm suggesting to the commission that you send a message that Mr. Silva will never be licensed here. When you run from a test, that's about the worst thing you can do."
"I'm trying to think of a worse thing. Maybe submitting fake urine. Obviously having a lot of steroids in your system is pretty bad. But running from a test, it's really terrible for the sport. It's terrible for all the clean athletes out there and I think that to send this deterrent message, you really just need to say, 'Don't ever come back here"
Goodman argued that NAC did not have the regulatory authority to punish Silva as he was unlicensed at the time of the test and Nevada regulations do not provide oversight for fighters without licenses.
Eccles arguments and sanctioning recommendations was accepted by the commission thus the ruling of lifetime ban and a fine was given.
According to Commissioner Skip Avansino "I find him dodging the test to be abhorrent behavior. And certainly I am in favor of the harshest penalty we can impose for this type of action."
This was also seconded by Commissioner Anthony A. Marnell "I just think that running, lying, cheating - second and third offenses - and maybe we don't have a precedent, we're starting to develop a precedent, should carry the harshest penalty. I truly believe that in my heart and it is the only way, the only way, in any regulated or commission sport, to start to clean the sport up and let the athletes of all types be on notice that it's a zero tolerance for this."
