Dr. Marcio Tannure, medical director for Comissao Atletica Brasileira de MMA (CABMMA), Brazil’s regulatory body for MMA, isn’t happy with Antonio Silva’s comments blaming him for failing a post-fight drug test at UFC Fight Night 33.

“To be clear, I am not, nor have I ever been, Antonio Silva’s medical doctor,” Tannure stated.

“Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva has made some inaccurate statements in the media recently concerning the circumstances leading up to his positive test for an elevated testosterone ratio,” Tannure wrote in a statement emailed to MMAjunkie. “I am releasing this statement to clarify the facts related to my limited involvement leading up to his fight with Mark Hunt.”

As a result of the failed test, Silva was suspended nine months, and his $50,000 bonus from the Brisbane, Australia fight was awarded to Hunt.

More than a month before the fight, the UFC approved Silva’s request for a therapeutic-use exemption for synthetic testosterone to make up for a documented low count believed to be caused by acromegaly. As part of that regimen, Silva’s testosterone levels were tested multiple times, and both his management team and Tannure agree those results indicated his testosterone was still low.

Since testing positive, Silva has accused Tannure, via Facebook posts and public comments, of giving him bad medical advice — increasing his testosterone treatments from biweekly to weekly — that led to a positive drug test. Tannure, however, insists that it was Silva’s personal doctor who made that critical decision and that Tannure simply relayed that information.

“Approximately seven to 10 days prior to the bout, Antonio’s primary care physician and I discussed the fact that, in spite of the TRT, his levels continued to be below the therapeutic level,” Tannure stated. “His doctor recommended that Antonio increase the frequency of his dosage of testosterone based on his prior levels, and I was asked to communicate that recommendation to Antonio – which I did via email. I also invited Antonio to contact me if he had any questions.

“Antonio’s primary physician and I agreed that his last injection of testosterone was to be taken on Nov. 30, 2013 – one week prior to his fight. I communicated this to Antonio, as well. That was the extent of my involvement in this matter.”

A person familiar with Silva’s test results told MMAjunkie that Silva was issued testosterone propionate, a fast-acting exogenous testosterone that carries a half-life of just four to six days. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because Silva’s medical details were supposed to remain confidential.

With no local athletic commission in place to oversee the Dec. 7 event, UFC officials take over their responsibilities, which include drug testing.

So the UFC hired Tannure — in a role independent of his CABMMA duties — to serve as a liaison to UFC executives Marc Ratner and Mike Mersch, as well as UFC medical consultant Dr. Jeff Davidson, and Silva’s personal doctor in Rio de Janeiro. Due to his knowledge in the fields of medicine and MMA, as well as his fluency in both English and Portuguese, Tannure was asked to help monitor Silva’s testosterone levels throughout his training camp, make sure all tests were properly executed and to facilitate communication between the fighter’s doctor and the UFC.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 33, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Marcio Tannure and Anderson Silva)