Dr. Marcio Tannure: Anderson Silva denies taking PEDs

When it was revealed that former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva tested positive for drostanolone and androstane prior to his bout with Nick Diaz at UFC 183, seemingly everyone in the MMA world was shocked.

Turns out, Silva is as shocked as anyone.

Although "The Spider" hasn't spoken to the media at this point, he has discussed the situation with the medical director of the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA), Dr. Marcio Tannure, who said Silva denies ever taking performance enhancing drugs. 

"Anderson told me he’s disappointed, upset because he didn't use steroids," Tannure told Band News radio, as translated by MMAFighting.com's Guilherme Cruz. "He will ask for the confirmation test because he believes the only explanation is a contamination or a mistake from the lab. He told me: 'I have an impeccable career history and I wouldn't want to tarnish my image.’"

"It’s too soon to judge," he said. "He has the right to a confirmation test and two other results. The Nevada Athletic Commission hasn't talked yet, and the press is already judging him. The process isn't over yet. If the whole process was already over, he would have already been suspended."

Silva's flat denial is unsurprising considering the hard-line approach he's taken against steroid use in the past, even going so far as suggesting that all offenders should be banned from the sport.

"When the guys test for the steroids, (they should have) no more fights," Silva told MMAjunkie back in October. "When you use the steroids, you use them for a long time. When you use the steroids for a long time, you have a problem. It's a drug, and it’s not good for the sport."