Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight smasher Wanderlei Silva recently filed suit against the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), seeking a reversal on his lifetime ban from mixed martial arts (MMA), which came in the aftermath of his refusal to be drug tested ahead of UFC 175.

See how it all went down here.

In response, the commission filed an answering brief in Clark County District Court, refuting the Brazilian's claims that it has no power to drug test unarmed combatants who are not licensed to compete, despite being promoted for an upcoming appearance.

Check out the full brief, courtesy of Erik Magraken from Combat Sports Law, below:

Silva found himself in hot water early last year after skipping out on a pre-fight drug test, one that also popped UFC 175 opponent Chael Sonnen. "The Axe Murderer" revealed during the commission's fact-finding hearing that he did, in fact, take diuretics to help with an injury.

He was then hit with a $70,000 fine and banned for life, which prompted his retirement.

That's not the end of the story, however, but rather the middle. Silva has been trying to find work outside of the ZUFFA bubble but to no avail (thanks to this) and would likely need to settle his NSAC dispute before getting the green light to go back to work.

Whether or not he can is now up to the court.