Anderson Silva eligible to return this fall after USADA confirms contaminated supplements

One of the best mixed martial artists of all-time is looking to return this fall after the results of a failed drug test were confirmed to be caused by contaminated supplements.

Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva accepted a one-year suspension from USADA retroactively beginning in November 2017 after the drug testing organization found that the supplements Silva received from a Brazilian pharmacy were tainted. 

The news was first reported by ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.

According to a USADA press release, Silva will be eligible to return as early as November 10 and in a statement to Helwani via his team, he intends to keep fighting.

The 43-year-old tested positive for an anabolic steroid while preparing for a fight against Kelvin Gastelum in November. He was suspended for a year in 2015 after testing positive for several banned substances following his fight with Nick Diaz.

He last competed in February 2017, picking up a decision win over Derek Brunson. After a run of dominance that saw him become a major star in the sport, he went winless in his last five (Chris Weidman twice, Diaz, Daniel Cormier).