Vera Discusses Silva Fight and Controversial Drug Test

Brandon Vera in happier times

Vera discusses Silva’s mysterious drug test

Thiago Silva‘s UFC 125 drug test has yet to come back clean.

The light heavyweight slugger earned a unanimous decision victory over Brandon Vera on the main card of the promotion’s first event of 2011, dominating Vera with his strength and power. However, now Vera is waiting to see if Silva had a bit of help to defeat him because a positive drug test from Silva would make the former top prospect feel a bit better about himself.

“I have no idea what’s going on,” Vera stated on the latest episode of The Ryan Loco Show. “He could’ve tested positive for marijuana. I honestly don’t think that’s a performance enhancing drug. If he does test positive for some kind of strength enhancing substance, it would make me feel a little bit better about myself.”

No one is certain about whether or not Silva’s drug test in fact did come back positive for a performance enhancing substance, but the delay has created some skepticism.

And Vera can’t help but wonder if Silva had taken an illegal substance prior to the fight. The man nicknamed “The Truth” says that Silva’s strength surprised him and that the Brazilian is one of the strongest individuals he has ever faced off against inside the Octagon.

“I roll with Phil Davis,” Vera said. “I roll with Travis Browne. I roll with Junior dos Santos. I roll with the Nogueira brothers. When I’m in the half guard underneath somebody and I have their leg, and my other leg’s half-cocked up on their arm pit, I can rock people back and forth. I can rock you and either stand back up or get the sweep.

“I remember when I was underneath him and I was pushing him back and forth. I was thinking, ‘What the hell? Why is this guy so damn strong?’ And I remember thinking during the fight, ‘Yo, I gotta start lifting weights again.’ He was one of, if not the strongest dudes I ever rolled with in my life. Strong b******.”

While Silva may be the strongest light heavyweight Vera has ever had the pleasure of fighting, that does not take away from the fact that the Brazilian disrespected his opponent during the fight. After dominating the first two rounds, Silva took to showboating in the final round, patting Vera’s back due to the fact that his opponent was doing little to defend the onslaught.

Still, Vera failed to notice what Silva was doing initially, though his elbow helped change the situation.

“I didn’t know he was (patting my back) until the crowd started booing and cheering. I remember I looked back and was like, ‘What the hell?’ And I elbowed him in his face. I don’t know what he was doing that for. Kind of excited, I guess, because he knew he was winning the fight.”

Silva’s actions angered Vera, but he knows he was losing the fight. But that is not going to stop him from preparing for the future.Yes, he has been released by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but Vera plans to return soon, and there is no one he would like to meet more than Silva, passing along the challenge his newest rival.

“There’s stuff I want to say about you, Thiago,” Vera said. “You know, I’m glad you were happy winning the way you were. It’s cool, man. It’s cool. If this thing comes back and you did do whatever you did and I make it back to the UFC, on your welcoming back party, I want to make sure I’m the one you get to fight.

“And I promise if you take me down, I’m going to get back up. Then I’m going to punish you on the feet just like I did while we were fighting, until you took me down. Then you gave it to me, but you won’t take me down next fight. So I’m glad you got to showboat. I’m glad you got to win, kind of. But I’m gonna see you again soon, bud.”

To hear the full Brandon Vera interview, check out Episode 3 of the Ryan Loco Show.



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