Wanderlei Silva received an lifetime ban from the sport of mixed martial arts last year from the Nevada State Athletic Commission due to running from a drug test prior to an announced bout against Chael Sonnen.
The light heavyweight/middleweight fighter released a statement on his Facebook page yesterday and stated that he is being “treated like a slave” by the UFC.
“You know that I’ve been chased, discriminated, treated like a slave by this promotion,” Silva wrote on Facebook. “They don’t want to release me from the contract, so I can’t work anymore, which is my right of not wanting to work for them anymore, and I can’t work anywhere else. I come here asking the UFC to release me from this slavery system. You work for them or don’t work anywhere else. Some good soul, please translate this and send to Dana. I know I will find the best lawyers to help me with that.”
After UFC Fight Night 62 concluded last night, UFC President Dana White was asked to respond to the comments made by Silva and maintained that the fighter did this to himself.
“Wanderlei Silva ran from a drug test,” White said. “He ran from a drug test. If he’s a slave, he’s a slave of his own doing. He did this to himself. The UFC didn’t do anything to Wanderlei Silva. Actually, we treated Wanderlei Silva very well. Anything that is happening to Wanderlei, he brought it on to himself. I know it, you know it, and everyone else knows it.”