MMA
Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer 10y

Antonio Silva on life after suspension

Win, lose or draw, one week after Antonio Silva fights Andrei Arlovski at this weekend's UFC Fight Night event in Brasilia, Brazil, the 34-year-old will be on the operating table.

Silva (18-5-1), who was diagnosed with acromegaly in 2006, will undergo surgery next week in Sao Paulo, Brazil to remove a cyst on his pituitary gland. It's a common procedure among acromegaly patients -- and one Silva has actually underwent previously. Surgeons will enter the gland through the Brazilian's nasal passages and attempt to remove all of the cyst, which causes his body to produce an excess amount of growth hormone.

Symptoms of acromegaly, otherwise known as gigantism, include enlarged hands, feet and skull. Complications can include headaches, impaired vision, joint pain, enlarged vital organs and heart and kidney failure.

The surgery is relatively uncomplicated, but as his manager, Alex Davis, put it: I don't think any human being would enjoy having their operated on.

No doubt Silva, who will require two months off with no contact, would agree -- but he doesn't have much of a choice. Last year, the UFC granted him a therapeutic-use exemption for testosterone-replacement-therapy (TRT) prior to his epic, five-round draw against Mark Hunt. It was the first time Silva had been approved the use of TRT to treat his acromegaly -- and it would prove to be the last.

After the fight, Silva tested positive for elevated testosterone levels and was suspended nine months. He also lost a $50,000 bonus. His case embodied what many came to criticize about TRT in general: It can be a touchy science. Silva said the positive test was caused by an extra dosage he was instructed to take by his physicians. In February, the Nevada State Athletic Commission banned TRT in combat sports altogether and the UFC quickly followed its lead.

Had Silva been allowed to continue TRT treatment, he would have been able to avoid surgery (at least temporarily). Due to the ban across the sport, going under the knife is "the only option he has," Davis said.

"He was one of the few fighters, if not the only one, who was justified in using TRT," Davis told ESPN.com "It's completely unfair to make a human being, who medically needs TRT, go without it. I think the ban of TRT is wrong."

In Silva's case, the elevated levels of testosterone in December marked the second failed test of his career. In 2008, he tested positive for the banned substance Boldenone, which he said also stemmed from treatment for his condition. Ultimately, individual athletes (more so than physicians overseeing them) are responsible for what they put in their bodies -- but Silva admits any public perception of his two failed tests that he was cheating is frustrating.

"The majority of the public is not aware of [my condition]," Silva said. "If they knew my condition and what it meant, they would understand why I need to be on TRT. It's all been very frustrating, but I believe in God and I've been placed on a main event and I need to put on a great show so everyone forgets [about the suspension]."

Rather than discuss his condition (and some of the necessary treatments) in every interview to let the public know, Silva and his team don't like to discuss it. It's a personal medical issue, for one. It's also been a long, tiring issue to deal with in his career and they'd rather simply always try to move away from it. According to Davis, he's worked extensively with several state athletic commissions prior to Silva's fights linked to his acromegaly. Ahead of one bout, Davis said, "the only thing the commission didn't test him for was rabies."

Silva would much rather discuss his upcoming fight, which happens to be taking place in his birthplace of Brasilia, where several family members still live. The bout is a rematch of a contest that took place under the Strikeforce banner in May 2010. Silva won via unanimous decision.

The draw with Hunt in his last fight was considered one of the best fights of 2013, which made the medical miscue all the more disappointing. He will continue to deal with his health after this upcoming fight, but for now he's ready to put the focus back on what happens inside the cage on Saturday.

"I've watched that last fight plenty of times and I've enjoyed watching it," Silva said. "For me, that was a very fun fight. Mark Hunt is a great athlete who was able to make that fight happen in that way. I was very happy about the fight but disappointed with the rest of it. Who wouldn't be?"

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