Wand: Out of competition PED testing ‘against the constitution’
Wanderlei Silva: “We are being violated. They are taking out our rights as citizens … That’s against the constitution. You can’t have this law.”
Wanderlei Silva recently did an extended interview with the ever excellent Guilherme Cruz and continued to put the UFC on full blast. The fighter has been suspended indefinitely by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for running, literally, out the side door, after an attempt was made to test him out of competition, and then no showing a disciplinary hearing on Sept. 23, 2014 to answer dodging the test.
The fighter is currently suing the NSAC on the grounds that it did not have the authority to conduct out of competition PED tests, as he was unlicensed at the time.
Guilherme Cruz: If you could go back in time, would you do anything different to avoid this situation?
Wanderlei Silva: I don’t regret anything I did. I heard some things that the commission did to fighters…it looks like they showed up at the champion’s house at 6:50 a.m. to test him. What the f— is that? Is this a joke? I also heard they forced a famous fighter to undress in front of everybody in order to be tested. What is that? We are being violated. They are taking out our rights as citizens. The test has to be done on the day of the competition. You have to be at the same level of your opponent on fight day. That’s against the constitution. You can’t have this law. They are not athletes and they don’t know what we have to go through to be there and put on a show.
GC: The UFC asked the commission to increase the out-of-competition testing. You disagree or agree with that?
WS: If I’m going to fight you today, I have to be clean today. There are anti-inflammatories and painkillers that are considered doping, but are not. I’m against steroids. Steroids are bad. But the fighter has a right to do anything he wants out of competition. That’s his right. You can’t get into his life and take his blood to see what he’s doing. I’m against all types of drugs and steroids, but the athlete has the right to have a private life. He has to be clean on the day of the competition. Out of competition, that’s his life.
Wanderlei Silva laudably wants to see MMA fighters making the same income as NFL and MLB players. Like the most elite athletes in any sport, part of that is being subject to comprehensive, out of competition testing for PEDs. Athletes in this day and age do not in fact have a right, constitutional or otherwise, to take anything they want out of competition. Wanderlei Silva’s inability to grasp this simple fact makes him a problematic spokesman for the ills of the sport, as PED use is in fact one of our central problems.