Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo believes that once is an accident but twice is a pattern when it comes to Anderson Silva
Aldo believes that the all-time great may have questions regarding the legitimacy of his accomplishments to answer and that scrutiny is understandable.
“It’s hard to say what happened,” Aldo said when asked about Silva’s recent suspension (via MMAFighting). “He’s an icon of the sport, he’s an idol for me and for MMA fans. Man, I don’t know, I can’t say much about it because I don’t know what happened.
“But with Junior ‘Cigano,’ no,” he continued. “Junior ‘Cigano’ and I have the same doctor, we come from the same lineage, so I don’t believe he took anything that enhances the performance or something like that. I think he’s more innocent than guilty.
“And I don’t know what happened with ‘Minotouro.’ I think athletes today make the mistake of trying to self-medicate sometimes without asking their own doctors, and that can hurt you. USADA and WADA change a lot the components that are doping, we receive e-mails all the time saying what is and what is not, but sometimes you make a mistake and it happens.”
Should Silva receive what will be his second suspension in less than three years, fans and critics alike will have serious questions to ask of Anderson Silva:
“I think many fans and MMA journalists today say that Anderson was the champion he was because he doped,” Aldo said. “That’s a problem, that dirties his career. I make sure I take precautions, I do exactly what has to be done. Before I start a camp, I e-mail WADA and USADA saying what I will take, and we start the camp when they say it’s ok. I think this is a precaution that every athlete should take because you’re subject to this.
“Like I said, he’s an idol for us, but fans have a different image of him after he got caught twice. If it was only one we could say something, but twice can convict him. I think it hurts him, dirties his career, which for me was one of the best.”
