There’s now some clarity as to why Taila
Santos was unable to take part in the 2025
Professional Fighters League World Tournament.
USADA, the PFL’s anti-doping partner, announced on Wednesday that Santos has accepted
a six-month suspension after testing positive for oxandrolone and
clenbuterol in an out-of-competition sample collected on March 21.
Both oxandrolone and clenbuterol are classified as anabolic agents
and are prohibited at all times.
Santos’ suspension is retroactive to March 21, so she will be able
to return to active competiton on Sept. 21. The 31-year-old
Brazilian was removed from a first-round flyweight tournament bout
against Juliana
Velasquez on April 11 as a result of the anti-doping
violation.
A former
UFC title challenger, Santos joined the PFL in 2024, where she
bested Ilara
Joanne, Jena Bishop
and Liz
Carmouche to reach the 125-pound final. She then suffered a
second-round TKO loss to Dakota
Ditcheva at the PFL Championships on Nov. 29. Santos went 4-3
during her UFC tenure, notably falling to Valentina
Shevchenko via split decision in a competitive championship
clash in June 2022.