Anderson Silva Maintains His Innocence Over PED Scandal In Letter To Fans On Instagram

The UFC has been forced to field countless questions on their drug testing policy in recent weeks, to the point where they called a special press conference in which they outlined their new plans to eliminate the use of PEDs going forward, after former middleweight champion Anderson Silva failed a drug test before his fight with Nick Diaz.

Initially, Silva failed a pre-fight test due to the presence of two steroids in his system, but the commission did not recieve the results until after the fight. Silva then passed an additional pre-test fight, but the failure of a test after the event on the night of his fight with Nick Diaz is what has sparked the controversy, as Silva failed to report the use of medication for anxiety and depression, which triggered a check on his first pre-fight test and revealed the banned substances.

Confused? So was Anderson Silva. The Brazilian fighter has maintained his innocence throughout the process, and last night took to Instagram to explain that he has not issued an apology because he does not know what he is apologising for.

IN RESPECT TO MY FANS 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.

A photo posted by Anderson Silva (@spiderandersonsilva) on Feb 19, 2015 at 10:56pm PST

It will be interesting to see what becomes of this story as Silva attempts to clear his name. Previously one of the most respected fighters in the history of the UFC, the organisation would no doubt breathe a sigh of relief if the situation could be resolved.