Wand: They made me like a slave

Wanderlei Silva is currently suspended indefinitely by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after running from a random, out of competition PED test. He is thus unable to fight for the UFC. However, he has a fight remaining on his UFC contract, but the UFC will not release him to go fight overseas in unregulated bouts. In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Silva compares this state to slavery.

The problem is because I have one fight left in my contract and I don’t want to fight for this event anymore,” said Wand. “And these guys hold my contract and I can’t do nothing in any other event. And I’m not gonna fight there, I’m not gonna fight in any other event and these guys hold my contract. I want to be free. I don’t want to working for these guys anymore. And he don’t sign the agreement and say ‘no, you are free.’

I don’t want to work for these guys anymore.

The truth, I don’t know if I’m gonna fight again or not. I think no. Today I’m not gonna fight, you know? And there’s no reason for these guys holding my contract. He needs to just sign a paper and it’s done, but he’s not doing that and I’m surprised because this is disrespectful.

I have all my history in this sport, you know? I have my name. Imagine what’s gonna happen with the young guys who don’t have a name and no expression. These guys do what these guys want. This is bad, what happened with me can happen can happen with any guy who signs the agreement.

No, these guys don’t talk with me, you know? These guys don’t talk with me. They don’t say nothing, and this is so disrespectful, because like….wanting them [NSAC] to make me retired. When happened all these things with the commission, these guys [UFC] didn’t contact me and say “It’s gonna happen this, it’s gonna happen that”. I saw what was happening on the news, on the internet. This is so disrespectful and I don’t wanna [be] working for these guys anymore.

[Bellator] were gonna pay me money to sign some autographs, meet some guys; and I received one email and it said [that] If I will be there, these guys [UFC] are gonna sue me, gonna sue, gonna go to the lawyers, go to the judges. I can’t work. That’s the problem. This is why they made me like a slave. No, I can’t work anymore. Well these guys won’t pay me nothing, and I can’t work in another place. That’s the problem.

I’m not accepting nothing from this commission. The commission is nothing for me. This commission is not representing nothing for me. This commission lost all their credentials when these guys caught this guy one month before the fight and this guy fought, caught the other guys with drugs and nothing happened. Who are these guys to judge somebody? No, these guys are nothing. I don’t respect nothing, I don’t accept nothing from this commission.

On whether Wanderlei would fight in a country where the commission had no control if he got out of his UFC contract.

I don’t know. I don’t know. Fighter? I don’t wanna fight. I don’t wanna fight anymore. Today, I’m not gonna fight. No. I don’t feel comfortable to be there because what these guys do with the sport is so bad.

On Anderson Silva testing positive for PED’s.

I feel bad because he was a great champion, he’s a great fighter, you know? And it’s not his fault. This is the commission’s fault, because the commission accepted one guy with some illegal things in the body [Anderson] fighting against the other clean guy [Nick Diaz]. Because the other guy had just Marijuana [in his system]. Marijuana is nothing. It’s not anabolic, and these guys [NSAC] caught him one month before. In one month! Usually the results [take] two to three days.

WHY, I’m asking why this commission one month before accepted this guy to fight against the other guy? Why? And this commission wants to judge somebody? This commission don’t know nothing about this sport.

On Jon Jones testing positive for cocaine.

It’s wrong to do drugs. It’s wrong. Everybody knows, but what the guys does in his private life is his life. This is all the fault of the commission, ’cause now the guys made a bad image to the great champion. And they say ‘Ah no. We made the test, but nothing is going to happen.’. This is bad, man.

“They have to make an example to everyone, but the commission don’t do nothing because the guy is a big star.”

“These guys need to have the same rules for anyone. Each different guy has different rules. That’s the problem. You know guys don’t have anyone who [enforces] the same rules for everyone. That’s the problem.”

On if MMA has a drug problem.

No, this is no problem. You know I think [there ‘s] too much pressure on the fighters. You know ? The guys need to win, ’cause you don’t want the guys to cut you, the guys are gonna sue you, then you’ll go to the judge and they’re gonna suspend you.

There’s too much pressure, and guys try to do everything to win. This is…..the problem is the commission and the events [organizations]. That’s the problem. ‘Cause the fighters, every time we do the same, every time we fight good, we’re fighting hard, but there’s too much pressure on the fighters. Too much pressure for everybody. Now these guys are not making money, these guys have a lot of injuries, these guys don’t have time to revive, and everybody wants these guys to fight like a professional. Impossible.

On Phil Baroni fight if the rumors were true about them fighting back in Japan.

No, no. No yet. Nobody talked to me about that.

On going to the WWE.

No. The talking don’t continue, you know? ‘Cause I’m a real fighter. You know, I can’t do pro wrestling. I don’t know. I never do it before and I don’t know if I’m gonna break the rules.

On if Wanderlei was offered to have a pro-wrestling match with Chael Sonnen.

Yeh, like that. Like pro wrestling, and I don’t know…..if I’m gonna fight against Sonnen I wanted to do the real fight. I don’t wanna do pro wrestling.

On not being able to have a fake pro wrestling angle with Sonnen due to his dislike for him.

Yeah. Potentially, it can go in the wrong way

On who would win between Cris Cyborg and Ronda Rousey.

I think Ronda is a really good fighter, but I think she don’t last the first round with Cyborg.

On not lasting the first round.

No. Never.

On Rousey’s boxing not being as good as Cyborg.

It’s different. She’s [Ronda] a really good fighter, but she’s never fought nobody like Cyborg. You know? and she can’t run anymore. [If] you want to say you are the best in the world, you need to accept the fight and fight; and Cyborg is the best. I think she doesn’t stand the first round.”