There are questions surrounding former M-1 Global titleholder Bruno Silva, and he understands why.

“Blindado” returns to the Ultimate Fighting Championship stage for the first time since completing a six-month ban when he lines up against Ismail Naurdiev this Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, as part of the UFC 308 undercard. It was the second time that Silva was suspended due to a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs.

“It was a sad time when I thought my career would be over, but the UFC had my back,” he told Sherdog.com. “They understood my situation. I communicate everything: which supplements I take, where I can be found and which medications I take. I’ve never had a problem in this regard in the UFC. The new doping committee was very friendly to me. They even stated that they would not file the (previous) case against me. They said they believed in me this time, but unfortunately they couldn’t find any contamination in my supplements. They didn’t think it would make sense to suspend me for a year or more.

“I fought on March 30,” Silva added. “The test was negative at the time. Then a test on April 11 was positive, and on April 30 another test was negative again. They stated that I had no intention of gaining any additional advantage during the fight. They gave me three months, but because I had been caught before, it was doubled. The nightmare is solved.”

Back in the UFC after the promotion opted not to re-sign him in 2020, Naurdiev is looking to test Silva on multiple fronts. The former Brave Combat Federation champion has 18 finishes (12 by knockout or technical knockout and six by submission) among his 23 professional victories.

“He is another champion I will fight,” Silva said. “I’ve dealt with ex-champions from M-1, Brave, the UFC and Bellator. I have a lot of experience with that. Ismail has been tested. He likes to strike, but he has a limited and repetitive number of strikes. It must be an uphill battle.”

Silva remains anchored at the Brazilian TKO camp in Curitiba, Brazil, where his all-round skills continue to develop.

“They’re a great team,” he said. “I’ve been here for ten years. I keep doing the same work. Lately my biggest obstacle has been my mentality. I started competing more. This year I participated in three jiu-jitsu tournaments. I had a boxing match against a teammate. I have worked on various aspects. I am a jiu-jitsu black belt and I want to show more of that, not only to myself but also to my team. It’s something I’ve been working on for years.”

Silva, now 35, has not stepped foot in the cage since suffering a controversial technical defeat to former middleweight champion Chris Weidman at UFC on ESPN 54 in March.

“There was a total lack of respect,” he said. “I brought four fingers to the eyes. The whole time he kept doing it on purpose. He wasn’t even given a warning and his final attack was a finger in each eye followed by punches. We have filed a claim with the athletics commission to change the outcome. After two months nothing had been done. Their conclusion was that we were wrong and Weidman was right. The loss remained on my record.”

Some seven months removed from his fateful meeting with Weidman, Silva hopes to turn the page, return to the winner’s circle and end the worst losing streak of his career.

“We know that’s how MMA goes,” he said. “Sometimes you’re at the top, (and) sometimes you’re at the bottom. It’s the life we ​​live, but I always work hard every day. I worked hard when I won, and I still work hard after losing. Now it’s time to start winning again and show my worth. I failed a drug test. I’m coming off three losses. Still, the UFC believes in me. I want to pay them back and show them what I’m worth.”