The lifetime ban handed down by the Nevada State Athletic Commission against Wanderlei Silva last year has been overturned by a Nevada district judge.
Judge Kerry L. Earley overturned the lifetime ban on Friday, along with the $70,000 fine the commission handed Silva. He called called the decision by the commission “arbitrary, capricious and not supported by substantial evidence.”
In addition, Judge Earley ruled that there needs to be another hearing on Silva’s case with the Nevada commission and a potential date for that hearing is not known at this time.
Silva’s attorney Ross Goodman released a statement to ESPN on Monday about the ruling made for his client.
“We are pleased that the court set aside the disciplinary actions ordered against Mr. Silva and reversed its decision and remanded for a re-hearing after finding that the NSAC violated Mr. Silva’s rights,” Goodman stated. “While we believe this is the first step in the right direction, we are evaluating our options to appeal this order given the court’s failure to specifically address whether the NSAC also violated [jurisdiction limits].”
At this time, the Nevada Athletic Commission has not released a statement on the ruling made by Judge Earley.