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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Two light heavyweight fighters coming off of suspensions for failed drug tests will meet this July, as MMAFighting.com reports that Thiago Silva will face Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante at UFC 162 on July 6.
Silva's career has essentially been on a tailspin since suffering his very first loss back in 2009 against Lyoto Machida. Though he essentially alternated wins and losses from there, two of his three wins were overturned to no contests due to drug test failures.
The first came in 2011, when his win over Brandon Vera was overturned after he submitted a false urine sample to mask steroids he ultimately admitted to taking for a back injury. After a loss to Alexander Gustafsson in his return fight, Silva then defeated Stanislav Nedkov in November with a third round submission. However, that was also overturned when he tested positive for marijuana metabolites, and handed a six-month suspension.
That will expire just a bit before the suspension of Cavalcante, who hasn't fought since last May. The former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion defeated Mike Kyle at Strikeforce "Barnett vs. Cormier", but he tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol, and the win was overturned. He attempted to appeal the drug test failure, but was unsuccessful.
They'll both now return against one another at UFC 162, which is expected to take place in Las Vegas and will be headlined by the Middleweight Championship bout between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman.
[Thiago Silva art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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