Wanderlei goes to court against the Nevada Commission and asks for a review of the ban

Wand (photo) ended his career with 49 professional fights. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube

The disagreement between Wanderlei Silva and the Nevada Athletic Commission ended up in court. The former Brazilian fighter, who received a lifetime ban from the organization for refusing to take a surprise doping test last year, claimed that the commission does not have the authority to give such a severe punishment.

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Wanderlei would face Chael Sonnen at UFC 175, in July last year. In May, the commission went to the Brazilian's gym, in Las Vegas (USA), to collect samples for an anti-doping test. Wanderlei refused to take the exam and said, months later, that he was taking diuretics, a banned substance, to recover from an injury.

At trial, the former PRIDE champion received a lifetime ban – meaning he will never again receive a license to fight under the supervision of the commission, which includes Las Vegas. Other US commissions also follow the Nevada protocol

“Contrary to the erroneous punishment against Silva, there is no legal authority that allows the commission to expand its jurisdiction to include people who are not licensed by the entity,” says the lawsuit, written by the Brazilian’s lawyer, Ross Goodman.

The process asks that the punishment given to Wanderlei, which ended up resulting in the Brazilian's retirement, be reviewed by the commission.

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