OPINION: Anderson Silva’s failed drug test is a massive stumbling block in the legitimisation of MMA

In addition to the shock of one of the seemingly most straight-laced athletes in the history of the UFC testing positive for these PEDs, two highly surprising elements have emerged from this revelation, both of which raise serious questions surrounding how fighters are tested.

Firstly I would raise the argument that, for combat athletes, there is no such thing as "out-of-competition". On January 9, Anderson Silva's fight camp was in full flow and he was very much preparing for competition. If he gained an illegal advantage in training with strength, conditioning and power training that translated into Silva's fight with Diaz, then he was very much IN COMPETITION when traces of the PEDs were found in his system. Secondly, what on earth took the NSAC so long for the test results to be released? If a governing body has proof that a fighter has enjoyed a very explicit advantage in his training camp then it is their duty to report this as soon as possible, if for no other reason than to preserve the safety of the other fighter. Who knows how much extra power that Silva gained during his training camp with an anabolic steroid in his system? He could have come out against Diaz, who was already conceding a lot in power due to a step-up in weight class, and knocked him unconscious in the first minute. Whatever tests are administered to combat athletes, the results should become available to the athletic commission before the fight takes place. That's a no-brainer surely. The UFC claim they did not find out about the failed drug test until yesterday and I do believe that, but there has to be a lot more communication between promoter and governing body. The promoter, the UFC in this case, is obviously in the money-making business and the last thing they want to do is call off a big fight at the last minute but the money that they're saving in the short term will be lost in the long-term if the sport descends into farce with repeated cases of fighters' pre-fight drug tests result coming out conveniently after they compete. The only resolution for this is to speed up the process of drug testing, the results being released and being handed to the promoter so the safety of fighters, which is of paramount importance, can be preserved. There is such a difference in the significance of a fighter getting a performance-enhancing advantage when compared to another sportsperson that it beggars belief that it's 2015 and it's still taking place. If a long-distance runner gets caught with PEDs in his/her system then the only real harm that's taken place is that the sport appears less legitimate and the "clean" competitors have been cheated out of a fair contest. The difference in combat sports is that the danger of a fighter sustaining permanent damage is present which makes the cheating athlete all the more heinous. Not only are they attempting to gain an illegal advantage to succeed in their career but they're also endangering other competitors. If the UFC doesn't move instantly to let this be the last case of a fighter getting away with this then you simply cannot blame the naysayers for questioning the sport's legitimacy. It will be moving back to the days of UFC 4 when fighters were allowed to slam their fists into the groins of their opponent without the referee batting an eyelid. Now that Silva has been caught, though, what happens? The standard punitive measure for first-time offenders is a nine-month suspension which will mean the former middleweight champion would be 40 by the time he is even considered for a licence renewal in Nevada. You'd think it would make sense for Silva to call it a day now but leaving on this disgraced note is so much more worse than retiring off the back of two defeats. What makes this pill even harder to swallow for fight fans like myself, who vividly remember Silva's first foray into he octagon when he finished Chris Leben inside the first minute, is that the GOAT contender was so vocal in his disgust for fighters who used banned substances to gain an advantage. In an interview with MMA Junkie from October, Silva claimed that he believed the only punishment for offenders was a lifetime ban. “When the guys test for the steroids, (they should have) no more fights,” he said. “When you use the steroids, you use them for a long time. When you use the steroids for a long time, you have a problem. It’s a drug and it’s not good for the sport.” That dishonesty and moral questionability forces us to go back to those moments of brilliance from the former 185lb kingpin. Were the NSAC testing as stringently before he finished Vitor Belfort with one of the greatest knockouts of all time? Was the athletic commission in Brazil as professional ahead of Silva's dominant title defence against Yushin Okami in Rio? There is nothing that Silva can do now to redeem his legacy and bring it back to the high standards were once held of him, just based on that question mark that will be hovering over his head. Fight fans don't forget easily and, even if Silva was to come back and regain his middleweight belt, he would do so to a chorus of boos. But I don't think it will come to that. Retirement seems like the logical next step for the Brazilian and, with his victory over Diaz likely to be switched to a No Contest, it will be with a deserving asterisk that Silva's career ends, rather than a perfect high kick.