The 20-6 Rua hasn’t stepped into the Octagon since his five-round classic against Dan Henderson at UFC 139 this past November. However, he was previously linked to a fight with Quinton Jackson indicating he is healthy enough to fight again in the coming months, and now seems to have gotten his adversary in the form of Silva. Some of his past wins include those over Jackson, Alistair Overeem, Forrest Griffin, and Lyoto Machida.

Silva hasn’t enjoyed the same level of success as “Shogun” but is an apt adversary all the same, racking up a record of 14-3 in his career with stoppages of Houston Alexander and Keith Jardine. He was last seen going the distance against rising star Alexander Gustafsson earlier this month in the main event at UFC on Fuel 2 after more than a year away from competition due to a drug-related suspension.

With the announcement that Jose Aldo’s title-defense against Erik Koch will indeed take place at UFC 149 a likely landing spot for Silva-Rua could be UFC 147 given the June 23 event’s attachment to Brazil and need for a solid bout alongside Wanderlei Silva-Vitor Belfort.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

However, now that he’s done his time the 29-year old Brazilian is aiming to start fresh in every sense of the word. Not only did he utilize the mandated break from action to heal/strengthen his body but he also hopes his accountability for the drug use will provide a rare “second chance” in the eyes of fans and his peers.

“I did a lot of rehab and lifting weights to make my whole body stronger. I also did sparring, but not a lot. I allowed my body to heal during the time off, and I constantly have to work on my core so it won’t happen again. I have to listen to my body when I feel something is wrong,” said Silva in an interview with the UFC’s website, referring to the back problem influencing his decision to use steroids. The affliction became so bad at one point he even lost feeling in one of his legs.

The next step to putting the past behind him will come when he enters the Octagon on Saturday night in Sweden (afternoon Stateside). Though it’s been a long road, the payoff of a headlining tilt against Gustafsson seems to have been worth it for Silva.

“I was like a kid in a candy store,” he said of receiving the call from Zuffa headquarters. “I was very excited when they asked me if I wanted this fight, and I just wanted to fight as soon as possible. It didn’t matter who my opponent was, I just want to get back in the cage and fight.”

When it comes to actually throwing down Silva was unsure as to whether his opponents will approach him like the heavy-handed finisher of the past few years or a guy who relied on banned substances to flourish. He also doesn’t appear to care.

“I don’t worry about if guys respect me or not, but if they don’t, they will find out the hard way,” the 14-2 Silva stated blankly. Thirteen of his victories have involved some form of finish.

Fans can catch Silva’s scrap with Gustafsson tomorrow when the main card fires up at 3:00 PM EST. Prelims start on Facebook three hours earlier.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

News of the switch was confirmed earlier today by the UFC.

Silva’s time on the sidelines stemmed from his submission of doctored urine relating to a January 2011 fight against Brandon Vera. The 29-year old then came forward to reveal he’d used steroids prior to the bout to help him heal from a back injury and could not afford to withdraw after being out for the previous twelve months due to health-related reasons. He holds an overall record of 14-2 including past victories over Houston Alexander and Keith Jardine.

UFC on Fuel 2 will also feature match-ups including Diego Nunes vs. Dennis Siver and Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Last year, Silva sent “The Truth” packing from the UFC after pummeling him in their bout. However, in the post-fight drug testing it was revealed Silva submitted doctored urine in hopes of masking his use of performance enhancing drugs. Silva was suspended for a year and Vera allowed another shot inside the Octagon.

Vera (12-5) took advantage of his break, defeating Eliot Marshall and calling out Silva (15-2) for a rematch as soon as Silva was cleared to return by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

It was not made known if the bout would serve as the main event for the evening, but it is likely to be placed on the main card. The only other match-up reported for the card is a bout between Tom Lawlor-Jason MacDonald.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Vera, who originally lost a bout to Silva back at UFC 125, settled for a “No Contest” after Silva tested positive for a banned substance.However, with the suspension now expired, Vera has wasted no time in calling him out for a rematch.

“I just heard my dear friend Thiago Silva is back…..I want that ass, (no homo),” Vera posted Monday morning on his Twitter account.

“The Truth” picked up a victory over Eliot Marshall at UFC 137 despite suffering a broken arm in the hotly contested bout. The fight marked his first back since originally being cut from the UFC following the Silva loss but the UFC decided to give him one more chance to due Silva’s positive test.

It remains to be seen if the UFC will place Vera and Silva inside the Octagon again though it would certainly be a marketable match-up given the history and personal animosity between the two.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

The 14-2 Silva will still need to reapply for a fight license after having his revoked due to a pair of failed tests related to his UFC 125 victory over Brandon Vera in 2011. The bout was later overturned to a No Contest when two separate urinalysis samples revealed a substance that was inconsistent with human urine. Along with facing the ban, Silva was also forced to forfeit part of his bonus money earned against Vera. He admitted to taking two prescription steroids before the Vera bout.

Silva came out shortly thereafter to admit he’d attempted to fool the commission after having PEDs injected into his back as a means of healing from an injury.

“I did so in an attempt to alter the results of the test and knowingly broke the rules of the Nevada Athletic Commission,” wrote Silva of his cheating in an emotional statement to media. “This was a terrible decision on my part for which I will be punished. I am prepared to accept this punishment, learn from it and move on. I apologize to the Commission, the UFC, Brandon Vera and the MMA fans.”

The 29-year-old Silva was on the cusp of competing for the UFC 205 pound title when he suffered a knockout loss to Lyoto Machida in 2009. It marked the first defeat of his career. Since that time, Silva has defeated Keith Jardine, lost a decision to Rashad Evans, and had the controversial clash with Vera.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Specifically, Silva admitted undergoing a series of steroid injections in his back to address a chronic back injury he’s suffered from for years, including one approximately thirty days before his fight at UFC 125 with Brandon Vera, then pouring a vial of doctored urine into a cup while his back was turned to the NSAC inspector overseeing the procedure at the event. When asked if he felt similar actions happened with regularity in MMA Silva responded in an affirmative fashion.

As far as reasoning, besides simply a means of trying to address the pain of three herniated discs, the Brazilian striker also referred to being broke and the desperation he felt in regards to providing for his family.

After listening to Silva and admitting their own fault in terms of not having detected his deception at the time of occurrence the NSAC made their ruling with the ATT-trained competitor’s punishment including a significant fine ($33,750 total), a year-long suspension, and the performance against Vera being changed to a “No Contest” rather than remaining a victory.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Here is the complete statement:

“We make decisions every day of our lives. Some are good and some are bad. When you make a bad decision, you can either make the situation worse by trying to cover it up or lie about it or just stick your head in the sand and refuse to acknowledge it even happened or you can own up to it with an honest explanation, accept the consequences of your actions, apologize to the people affected by it, learn from it and move on. I’m choosing the second option.

I used a urine adulterant when giving a sample following my fight with Brandon Vera. I did so in an attempt to alter the results of the test and knowingly broke the rules of the Nevada Athletic Commission. This was a terrible decision on my part for which I will be punished. I am prepared to accept this punishment, learn from it and move on. I apologize to the Commission, the UFC, Brandon Vera and the MMA fans.

I do want to explain the circumstances behind my actions. Please do not interpret this as an attempt to justify my actions. I know they were wrong and I know I made bad decisions and I know I deserve to be punished. That is why I began my statement with an admission and an apology before going into these details. This is not an excuse, only an explanation.

I had been tested on five prior occasions while fighting for the UFC before the Brandon Vera fight. Four of the tests were urine only and one included a blood sample as well in New Jersey the day before the fight. I passed each of those tests. I suffered a severe back injury shortly before the Rashad Evans fight. It was the biggest fight of my career and there was no way I was going to pull out of it. I fought and lost and was out of action for a year rehabilitating the injury and getting ready to fight again.

I reinjured my back 45 days before the fight with Brandon Vera. After not fighting for a year, I made the decision to not pull out of the fight. I also decided that the only way I could continue with the fight was to take injections in my back and spine that contained substances prohibited by the Nevada Athletic Commission. I also made the decision to use a product to hide the presence of these substances in a urine test.

These decisions were mine and mine alone. I did not share this information with anyone prior to the fight for fear that I would not be allowed to fight. I obviously made a terrible decision. I have since learned that it may have even been possible to fight had I been open and honest and disclosed the injury and treatment prior to the fight. I also realize that not being allowed to fight as a result of the treatment would have been a better result than the mess into which I have now gotten myself.

Again, I take full responsibility for making the decision to break the rules and try to cheat the system. I will accept the punishment I receive and will learn from this. I plan to come back as a better person and professional as a result.”

Silva’s back problems were first brought to light last year when he mentioned numbness in his limbs during an interview with Tatame. However, he also denied any wrongdoing to the publication after his name was left off a list of UFC 125 competitors who had tested clean for the event.

Up next for the ATT product is an April 7 date with the NSAC where his punishment will be determined. No word has surfaced from the UFC on whether or not his admission will affect his employment with the company.

According to a press released issued by Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer, the State’s governing board has filed a complaint alleging the urine sample Silva submitted on January 1 in co-ordinance with the event was found to be inconsistent with a human specimen. A follow-up test was conducted by an outside entity where it was also deemed to have either been “adulterated and/or substituted” though Silva had signed a form stating, “I certify that I provided my specimen to the collector; that I have not adulterated it in any manner; each specimen bottle used was sealed with a tamper-evident seal in my presence; and that the information and numbers provided on this form and on the label affixed to each specimen bottle is correct.”

Up next for Silva is an April 7 date with the NSAC where he will have an opportunity to argue his case and potentially be subject to a significant suspension and fine. While he hasn’t responded to today’s news yet Silva did initially deny any wrongdoing when the commission’s initial report was released in February.

The 15-2 Brazilian had originally been scheduled to face Quinton “Rampage” Jackson over Memorial Day Weekend before the cloud of suspicion attached to the drug test results opened the door for Matt Hamill to step in (as well as for Vera to get at least one more shot in the Octagon based on the tainted defeat).

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Thiago Silva, still listed on the UFC’s website for a date with Jackson over Memorial Day Weekend, was recently rumored to have been replaced by Rashad Evans for undisclosed reasons – a claim Silva and his camp denied shortly thereafter. However, perhaps lending credit to the possibility of Evans’ involvement at UFC 130, the 28-year old Brazilian’s name was left off a report issued earlier today by the NSAC listing UFC 125 athletes who had tested negative for drug/steroid use. Silva beat Brandon Vera by unanimous decision at the event.

Five Ounces of Pain has since confirmed with NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer that Silva did indeed submit a urine sample at the event, and though he stopped short of officially naming Silva as the lone remaining fighter whose submission was mentioned in their report as still being processed there is little evidence to the contrary. However, as curious as the circumstances may be, it’s important to remember “processing” doesn’t mean “positive”.

Silva’s bout with Vera was his first in a year due to his need to recover from a chronic back problem. He holds an overall record of 15-2 with notable knockouts over Keith Jardine, Tomasz Drwal, and Houston Alexander.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

The plan to pair Evans and Jackson for a second time was reported by MMAWeekly. However, if Silva is indeed being forced out of the fight it appears to be news to him, as he has since been quoted by Tatame as saying his bout with Jackson is still on as far as he knows.

“Sugar” ‘Shad was originally set to take on Rua before a knee injury resulted in him being replaced by Jon Jones. However, he is expected to be ready to go again by May when UFC 130 will take place, meaning it is possible UFC could create a top contenders’ clash at the event by potentially putting him in the Octagon with Jackson.

Silva recently spoke about his fight with Vera, addressing the sequence of strikes and Jones’ opinion, and offered a take on his scheduled scrap with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in a conversation with Tatame.

On the subject of his performance against Vera, the American Top Team trained competitor described his thought process, stating, “I was looking for the knockout, but he opened some space and practically conceded me the takedowns. He did a great job defending himself…it was hard for me to finish the fight. I’m not a good submitter, but I tried to punch him hard. He’s tough, has a good defense, but I dominated the fight.”

As far as why he may not have engaged as wildly as he would have in the past, the 15-2 Brazilian credited not only experience but an interest in preserving his career, saying, “It was my first fight after a year and we didn’t know how my back would react. I had to be more tactical. The guys are used to seeing me differently, but I’m 28 and I got three hernias. If I want to keep my career, I have to adapt and we’ll evolve little by little.”

Regarding his infamous back-bongo technique against Vera, Silva clarified his stance, stating he had broken a finger earlier in the bout and was not only protecting it but hoping to distract Vera enough to open up a choke or less-defended angle. He also made it clear fans – or fellow fighters – shouldn’t expect an apology for his strategy.

“(Jon Jones) is a jerk. Everybody’s a professional fighter and all fights include provocations. Vera said he’d break my legs; that I wasn’t on his level. I don’t say things, I do (them). You get recognized when you do things,” he explained. “I’m a professional fighter, but I can’t always please everybody. There’s always somebody behind the computer with a plate filled with French Fries ready to criticize you. I fight for the fans, for the money, and to put my name up there. Talking is too much easy. Nobody knows what goes on in your life, your training… I think I did my job. Who likes it, likes it, but you can dislike it if you want.”

Next up for Silva is a fight with former UFC light heavyweight champ Jackson who is coming off a razor-thin decision win over Lyoto Machida at UFC 123. When discussing the bout, Silva exhibited clear excitement about the opportunity at hand and stylistic pairing, elaborating on it by saying, “Our games match because we both like to fight standing. He avoids the ground game, doesn’t take the guys down, he wants to exchange. It’ll be a great fight because it’ll have a bit of everything.”

The decision win over Vera was only the second of Silva’s career as he’s finished twelve of the fifteen opponents he’s beaten (with one victory being the result of a non-contact injury). He holds past wins over Keith Jardine, Tomasz Drwal, and Houston Alexander.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Now it appears Silva will face yet another former divisional title-holder in the form of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (31-8), as a scrap between the two has been verbally agreed on with pen being put to contractual paper in near future. Assuming no wrenches are thrown into the plan it is expected the bout will take place on May 28 at UFC 130 in Las Vegas.

News of the potential match-up and attached event were reported by MMAJunkie.

“Rampage” is fresh off split decision success over Lyoto Machida this past November after having dropped his prior fight by way of points to Rashad Evans. He had won eight of nine bouts entering the Evans loss including victories over Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva, and Dan Henderson.

His 28-year old opponent, Silva, is 2-2 in his last four fights with losses to Machida and Evans after opening up his career with a 13-0 record. In addition to Vera and Jardine, he holds wins over Houston Alexander and Tomasz Drwal.

If the two talented 205ers do end up together in the Octagon they will likely join former UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir and TUF 10 winner Roy Nelson on the card who have also been attached to a fight with each other at the event.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

The change has been made official according to event’s line-up as listed on the UFC website.

In addition to offering Vera an opportunity to get back on the winning track after back-to-back losses, the occasion also marks the first time “The Truth” has been in action since suffering three broken bones in his face as a result of a Jon Jones elbow endured in their match-up last March. The lanky Californian is 11-5 overall with past wins over Krzysztof Soszynski and Frank Mir.

Like Vera, Silva will also be coming off a defeat in his previous bout and extended layoff. The 14-2 American Top Team product last fought in January, losing a decision to Rashad Evans, and is only now recovered from a chronic back injury he’d dealt with prior to the bout.

UFC 125 is scheduled for January 1st, 2011 and features a headlining championship clash between Frank Edgar and Gray Maynard, as well as Chris Leben testing Brian Stann’s stand-up, a scrap between lightweights Clay Guida and Takanori Gomi, and Nate Diaz in action against Dong Hyun Kim.

Lightweight champ Frank Edgar will defend his strap against the only individual to beat him, Gray Maynard, in the evening’s main event. Edgar lost a unanimous decision to Maynard in April 2008 before going on to win six straight bouts including two consecutive wins over former title-holder BJ Penn. Comparably, Maynard has won five fights in a row over a list of opponents featuring Nate Diaz, Roger Huerta, and most recently Ken Florian.

Also scheduled to see action on January 1st, 2011 in Las Vegas, Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson will settle their personal differences in the cage and help sort out the heavyweight contendership picture in the process. “Big Country” recently poked fun at Carwin’s alleged involvement in a steroid distribution ring with Carwin responding by taking verbal jabs at Nelson’s physique.

In addition to Edgar vs. Maynard II and Nelson vs. Carwin, the other “UFC 125 – Resolution” match-ups confirmed by the company are as follows:

Clay Guida vs. Takanori Gomi
Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Thiago Silva vs. Brandon Vera
Chris Leben vs. Brian Stann

The 14-2 Brazilian’s comments came in a brief conversation with Tatame where Silva also mentioned he hasn’t fully recovered from a back injury previously mentioned as having caused him to lose movement in one of his legs.

“The contract’s here, I’ll sign it tomorrow,” said Silva of the upcoming bout with Vera. “I think it’s a good fight, the two of us like to bang and it seems it’ll be a great fight. I’m anxious for this fight…He won’t be like trying to grab me all the time – we’ll trade a lot of punches.”

As far as his health, Silva elaborated on the situation and expressed confidence he would be at 100% for the January 1st event. “There’s plenty time and I still have to fix my spine. I’m doing treatment for it. It’ll take a month so I can go back to the trainings, but now I just have to wait (to) fight again,” he explained.

In addition to Silva’s clash with Vera, also rumored for the Las Vegas show is a headlining match-up between middleweight champ Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.

News of the fight, in which both men will be looking to right their proverbial ships, was reported by MMAJunkie.

The match-up against Vera will mark almost exactly a year to the day since Silva last stepped foot in the Octagon, a hard-fought decision loss to Rashad Evans at UFC 108. Though he was previously scheduled to compete against Tim Boetsch at UFC 117, the 14-2 Brazilian pulled out of the event on short notice with an affliction causing him to “lose movement” in his right leg.

“The Truth” will also be returning to the ring after an extended injury-related layoff when the cage-door closes at UFC 125. Vera last competed in March against Jon Jones and had three bones in his face broken as the result of a fight-finishing elbow keeping him out of action since. The TKO was his second consecutive defeat, the first coming by decision to Randy Couture in November 2009, and the fifth of his sixteen-bout career.

Both light heavyweights should offer up an exciting display at the event for fans in attendance and tuning in at home. Vera and Silva are both quite capable on the ground, but are known more for rendering opponents unconscious rather than tapping them out. Of their twenty-five combined wins, eighteen have come by way of TKO (not to mention a strike-based submission for American Top Team’s Silva).

In fact, according to a conversation Silva recently had with Tatame, he has been living in pain since 2008 due to related injuries, and though he’s fought twice since he is only now getting close to being at 100%.

Most recently his medical issues forced the American Top Team product withdrew from a scheduled bout against Tim Boetsch at UFC 117. While he didn’t elaborate on the specific damage, Silva did say, “This time I got hurt one week before the fight, and it was even more serious. I lost the movement of my right leg, but I’m doing my recovery work now. I’m not training it all, but they say I’ll be able to train within four weeks.”

However, the 27-year old Brazilian, who hasn’t stepped foot in the Octagon since losing a close decision to Rashad Evans last January, still hopes to fight again in 2010 and has targeted December for his return. “There’s nowhere to go, I can’t train. I have to stay still, focus my mind on my strength and to solve this problem so I can come back soon,” he explained. “The division is stronger. In my opinion, it’s the most disputed (in the) UFC. Unfortunately, my bad luck is keeping me out of it…”

Silva is 14-2 with eleven TKOs, two submissions, and a single decision win to his credit. He has notable wins in his career over Keith Jardine and Houston Alexander.

Thiago Silva vs. Rashad Evans UFC 108

After Quinton “Rampage” Jackson removed himself from his UFC 107 bout to appear as B.A. Baracus in the A-Team remake, former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans will now be facing off with American Top Team’s Thiago Silva at UFC 108.

It has recently been reported by MMAJunkie.com that both parties have agreed to the bout, which will be the co-main event to a middleweight championship bout between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort.

UFC 108 is set to take place from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on January 2.

Both men will be looking to get back into the title picture following mutual losses to current UFC 205 pound champion, Lyoto Machida.

There will also be a certain degree of the revenge factor in the match-up as Thiago most recently knocked out close friend and training partner to Evans, “The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine.

Also expected for the card is a lightweight showdown between Joe Lauzon and Sam Stout.

That answer may have came when Evans sat down for an interview with MMA.Fanhouse.com and revealed that he could face Thiago Silva either sometime in December at UFC 108, or sometime in early-2010.

During the interview, Evans mentioned that Silva glared at him after his victory over Keith Jardine at UFC 102 in August and he interpreted that as a sign that Silva wanted to “take him on.”

If the fight is indeed signed, it would be a battle between two competitors with only one professional loss on their record. The irony in that is, both fighter’s only loss came at the hands of current UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.

Evans (13-1-1) faced Machida at UFC 98 in May and lost the UFC light heavyweight title after getting knocked out in the second round. Before that loss, Evans had run up an impressive win streak that featured wins over Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell, and Michael Bisping.

Silva (14-1) lost to Machida at UFC 94 in January. He was knocked out in the first round with only one second left on the clock. His UFC resume is impressive as well with wins over Jardine, Houston Alexander, and James Irvin among others.