LAS VEGAS - Nevada fight regulators imposed the maximum penalty Thursday on former UFC champion Anderson Silva for testing positive for steroid use last January.
Nevada Athletic Commission chairman Francisco Aguilar said the 40-year-old Silva was suspended for one year, stripped of his January win against Nick Diaz and fined $380,000.
The fight was ruled a no contest. It had represented Silva's return to the cage at age 39 for the first time in 13 months after badly breaking his leg.
Aguilar said Silva provided inconsistent testimony and records after testing positive for Drostanolone metabolites Jan. 9.
Silva is considered one of the greatest mixed martial artists in the sport's history.
He won 10 consecutive title defenses in seven years as the UFC's 185-pound champion until losing the belt to Chris Weidman in 2013.