Mike Chiappetta • E-mail

EliteXC heavyweight champion Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva has tested positive for boldenone following his July 26 championship fight with Justin Eilers, according to the California State Athletic Commission.

The 28-year-old Silva (11-1) won his bout by second-round TKO on the undercard of the second CBS broadcast. He is unbeaten in four fights in EliteXC.

According to the CSAC's William Douglas, Silva's "A" and "B" samples were tested by separate laboratories and showed positives for the steroid, which is primarily used in treatment of horses. Boldenone is considered an easily detectable drug due to its lengthy half-life.

Despite that fact, several MMA fighters have tested positive for boldenone in recent years, including the UFC's Stephan Bonnar, WEC's Alexandre "Pequeno" Nogueira, and EliteXC's Phil Baroni.

Douglas told NBCSports.com that levels of the drug are not recorded for boldenone since its mere presence in the body constitutes a violation.

Silva has been suspended for one year and fined $2,500 though he will have the opportunity to appeal the findings. His win over Eilers made him the company's first-ever heavyweight champ, but if the penalty stands, he will likely be stripped of his title.

EliteXC President of event operations Jeremy Lappen released a statement saying, "We respect the California commission and the job they do. We always enjoy working with them and work very well together. The illegal use of steroids is a problem in all major sports, including mixed martial arts. We certainly do not condone the use of steroids. But we also support, trust and have confidence in our fighter, Antonio Silva, who has denied ever taken any illegal substance, including steroids, and is prepared to challenge the results of the California Commission. So until all the facts are known and a final decision is rendered, EliteXC will reserve making any further comments at this time.’’

The CSAC also announced that Affliction fighter Edwin Dewees tested positive for nandrolone following his July 19 match with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

Dewees' test level measured 499 nanograms per millileter. While nandrolone is naturally occurring in the human body, it is usually in tiny quantities of less than 0.4 ng/ml. By comparison, when the UFC's Sean Sherk tested positive for nandrolone following his UFC 73 match, he tested at 12 ng/ml.

Longtime MMA veteran Dewees (35-13) suffered a second-round TKO in his most recent fight, and has lost five of his last six bouts. Like Silva, Dewees faces a one-year suspension and $2,500 fine.

Ironically, Dewees took the fight on short notice, replacing Vernon "Tiger" White, who was pulled from the event after testing positive for a banned diuretic on another show.

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