Positive tests for performance-enhancing drugs are more of a routine occurrence in MMA than ever before, and former UFC champion Anderson Silva thinks stricter punishments should be in place.

Silva knows what it’s like to share the octagon with an opponent trying to bend the rules. Of the Brazilian’s 15 UFC opponents, seven have failed a drug test at some point in their careers.

Chael Sonnen, Stephen Bonnar, Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin, James Irvin, Nate Marquardt and Chris Leben have all tried to gain an unfair advantage either when facing “The Spider” or another opponent.

Even though he handily defeated every opponent who attempted to cheat him out of a victory by abusing banned substances, Silva admits PEDs are still a “problem” in MMA.

“This is not bad for me; this is bad for the sport,” Silva told MMAjunkie. “People around the world love the UFC, but the kids love the UFC, and the families love UFC. It’s bad for the sport. I don’t think this is good because the sport can change the lives of the kids and the people in the world.

“When the guys test for the steroids, it’s bad because this is a problem. It’s bad not just for the UFC, but for the sport.”

UFC officials have placed heightened attention on drug testing policies over the past year. They want to weed out the cheaters and rid the sport of banned substances, but it’s a slow and challenging process.

The organization intends to implement a full-scale random drug testing program for all its athletes in 2015, which is a major step up from past protocols.

Regardless of how stringent the UFC and athlete commissions who regulate the sport become on drug testing, there will always be certain athletes in search of new ways to operate around the rules.

Silva knows this, and that’s why he believes anyone with a positive test should be barred from competition.

“When the guys test for the steroids, (they should have) no more fights,” Silva said. “When you use the steroids, you use them for a long time. When you use the steroids for a long time, you have a problem. It’s a drug and it’s not good for the sport.”

Silva claims he is a clean athlete and his documented history indicates nothing to the contrary. The 39-year-old said he believes strongly in karma, and if a fighter is going to cheat, that decision will cost them at some point. Oppositely, if a fighter is clear-minded and free of guilt, it will allow them to excel.

“(Steroids) make the sport bad,” Silva said. “If you do the sport in a good light, you have a good life. That is my opinion.”

Silva (33-6 MMA, 16-2 UFC) next competes at UFC 183 where he’ll meet Nick Diaz (26-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in a five-round main event. The event goes down Jan. 31 from Las Vegas.

For more on UFC 183, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.