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Georges St-Pierre's Coach Compares Anderson Silva to Lance Armstrong

Georges St-Pierre's Coach Compares Anderson Silva to Lance Armstrong

Anderson Silva’s standing as the greatest fighter of all time has come under heavy scrutiny since a positive drug test result revealing two banned substances came to light last week.

At the fore of the critics is former UFC welterweight champion George St-Pierre’s coach, Firas Zahabi. He recently spoke to LaPresse.ca, expressing his shock at the Silva drug test, comparing Silva to disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong.

Armstrong, a cancer survivor that stormed his way to seven consecutive Tour de France victories, has been banned from his sport for life and had all of his Tour titles stripped due to doping over the course of his career.

> SEE ALSO: Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz Fail Drug Tests

Zahabi said that, with Silva’s purported transgressions, St-Pierre should be recognized as the best pound-for-pound fighter.

“It’s horrible for the sport. Lance Armstrong has not helped the sport of cycling. So many people were inspired by its history. And then we learn that it is a lie. Now, you live something similar in our sport,” said Zahabi.

Silva has proclaimed his innocence, but it is very rare in such cases that the drug test result is found to be inaccurate. Zahabi, for one, isn’t buying.

“A mistake with two types of different steroids? I’m sorry, but we are not fools,” Zahabi told LaPresse.ca.

> SEE ALSO: Anderson Silva’s UFC 183 Drug Test Reveals Two Steroids

Like St-Pierre, Zahabi calls for clean competition in mixed martial arts, but fears that if something to that end isn’t done soon, one day, the fallout from a positive drug test result is going to be much more serious that fines and suspensions.

“Me, personally, I wish that the sport is clean. Because one day, a guy is going to die in the Octagon,” said Zahabi. “Our sport is already quite dangerous like that. If we add the doping on top of it, it becomes foolishness.”

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