“I was sad. I know he went through a lot and I know he was very well prepared to fight Daniel Cormier. With USADA coming into the UFC, things have gotten a lot more professional. You have to watch out for everything we put into our bodies, every supplement. Things can happen. I think something happened and I hope he doesn’t get mad I took his place.”
-Anderson Silva talks about Jon Jones’ removal from UFC 200 due to a USADA test failure and taking his spot against Daniel Cormier after Thursday’s UFC Fight Night 90 event (via MMAFighting.com).
Penick’s Analysis: Silva’s gone through the process with the Nevada Athletic Commission (which Jones is going to wind up dealing with as well on top of USADA), so he’s been in a similar position before. Now he’s getting a chance to take a major payday on short notice, and there’s really nothing to lose for him on that end. If he loses, he got beat by a guy probably 25 to 30 lbs. heavier than him and the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion on two days notice. If he wins, it’s an incredible and unexpected moment. With the payday on top of that, there’s no question as to why he stepped up for this fight.
[Photo (c) Jayne Kamin-Oncea via USA Today Sports]
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