Celebrating his forty-eighth birthday Wednesday, MMA legend Renzo Gracie weighed in on the sport's alarming rise in drug test failures.

Specifically regarding Anderson Silva, it doesn't sound like Gracie was especially surprised to hear about the former UFC middleweight champion failing multiple drug screenings prior to and following his bout with Nick Diaz at UFC 183.

"Everybody is taking (steroids)," Gracie told Brazilian outlet Tatame. "The difference is that Anderson probably lost control of when the substance would be out of his body. Fighters who don't use (PEDs) can't compete in this sport. There are some exceptional guys, like Frankie Edgar and Chris Weidman. Those two never took anything. I watch them closely. Everybody takes (steroids), except them. But they are rare cases."

Silva tested positive for the anabolic steroids Drostanolone and Androstane in a random pre-fight blood screening on Jan. 9. He also tested positive for Drostanolone metabolites in his Jan. 31 urine test.

"I don't understand much about steroids, but I heard that substance is hard to catch," said Gracie. "For whatever reason, [Silva] was caught. I don't know if he took it longer than he should. The problem with those things is that you develop an addiction, both physically and psychologically."

[Translation via Guilherme Cruz]

5 MUST-READ STORIES

'I hope he had no idea what it was.' UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis says he 'just can't see' Anderson Silva 'consenting to cheating.'

'I feel like I'm back in college.' After contemplating a move to 185 pounds, former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks says he's slimmed down to get his belt back.

Chat Wrap. Luke Thomas discusses UFC 185, Anthony Pettis as pay-per-view star, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao press conference and more in this week's live chat.

'Phoenix Jones.' Ben Fodor has signed with World Series of Fighting after his superhero feature aired on ESPN.

'I'm around.' UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey isn't worried about comments from Laila Ali. 'She's retired and has several kids. I understand why she'd think that because she has a size advantage.'

MEDIA STEW

UFC embedded episode 3.

Highlights from UFC 185's open workouts.

Bellator 134 Uncut.

Manny Pacquiao is picking Ronda Rousey over Floyd Mayweather.

Digging these Cerrone Ranch vlogs.

TTTHS.

Long watches.

UFC 185 Anthony Pettis vs. RDA Care/Don't Care Preview

...

DAN SEVERN ON THE EARLY UFC

TWEETS

Pretty tough to sub RDA.

Damn.

Great job @ufc taking cowboy to dallas for q and a. The more he famous the more Iget famous when I smash him @arielhelwani @lorenzofertitta — khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) March 11, 2015

Wrestling with my father in Dagestan before flight to USA. Wrestling with him it's not a joke ! ... https://t.co/MkssmpVG6j — khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) March 11, 2015

OK.

WHY @MMAWorldSeries BECAUSE THEY RESPECT THERE FIGHTERS AND WONT ASK YOU TO STOP BEING WHO YOU ARE. https://t.co/wAqohiL1H2 — Phoenix Jones (@ThePhoenixJones) March 12, 2015

Get well soon.

Good to see.

Cool.

# king.

I like it.

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announced yesterday (March 11 2015)

Phoenix Jones vs. TBA at WSOF 20

Ricardo Abreu vs. Daniel Sarafian at UFC Fight Night: Cormier vs. Bader

Tony Johnson vs. Alexander Volkov at Bellator 136

FANPOST OF THE DAY

Today's Fanpost of the Day comes via NickRiznerMMA.

Johny Hendricks vs. Matt Brown - Who Wins?

In the early days, it used to be about toughness. While mental fortitude still plays a major role in the success of an individual, razor-sharp technique and a diverse skillset seem to have replaced raw power and a strong will in the today's world of professional mixed martial arts. This is especially true at the elite level. The best brawlers of days past would still find some success on the present day UFC roster. They would likely win most of their fights and earn a ton of fans in the process. Surely, they would be placed on pay-per-view main cards and get invited to press conferences around the world. Their style would probably earn them plenty of post-fight bonuses and raise the ratings on whatever cards they got placed on. But when they finally reached the pinnacle of the sport and thrust themselves into the title picture, they would come up short, time and time again. ...

Check out the rest of the post here.

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