Wand (pictured) was banned from Las Vegas. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
Wanderlei Silva came out publicly to show solidarity with Jon Jones, recently caught in a surprise drug test for cocaine use shortly before his last fight, in front of Daniel Cormier, at UFC 182. In a video published this Friday (9), the former PRIDE champion, currently retired from MMA, stated that the champion made a mistake and that he should not be judged negatively by fans.
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"Jon Jones, I come here to express support for you. We know that you are a great champion and that you will get out of this. The people who are criticizing you are as if they were saints, as if no one had ever done anything. But it's not there. We are all human, we all make mistakes. I think it is important to admit your mistake and you have already recognized the problem, and we are sure that you will get out of this and use everything that is happening as a lesson for all the people who are going through what you went through”, said the Brazilian veteran.
Jones had the substance benzoylmethylecgonine detected in his body in a test carried out on December 4, just under a month before his fight against Cormier. However, the fight was not canceled due to the fact that cocaine was doping only during the so-called “competition period”, that is, 12 hours before the fight. Precisely for this reason, the Nevada Athletic Commission recognized that the specific test for that substance should not have been carried out.
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For Wanderlei, the episode involving Jones shows the commission's lack of preparation. “They are saying he was caught out of competition, by accident. But he has already tarnished the champion's image. Then we ask the commission: what will happen now? 'Oh, we don't know. Let's see what will happen'. Like this? Is there a law or is there no law?”, he asked. “You are lost, you don’t know what you are doing.”
Amidst the criticism, it was even up to Vitor belfort, who, caught in an anti-doping test in February last year, will face Chris Weidman soon for the belt. “You test a guy in February and, less than a year later, he's ready to fight again, because that was the interest. But what works now? Is it the law or interest?”, he continued.
Another example cited by Wand is the signing of CM Punk, who is expected to make his MMA debut in 2015 in the main organization on the planet. “Will this commission give him a license to fight? It's dangerous to put this guy in the octagon against a professional. If he gets punched in the head and dies, what will the commission say? Sorry? There are many athletes who are fighters who have not fought, want to return and have their license denied by this same commission.”
Wanderlei Silva retired from MMA last year after a major controversy with the Nevada Commission. The Brazilian refused to take a surprise anti-doping test requested by the organization, and, as a result, received a lifetime ban that prevents him from receiving a license to fight.
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