Former UFC Title Challenger Faces Six-Month Ban After Positive Drug Test

A former UFC women’s title challenger has seen her career continue on a downward trajectory.

On Wednesday, USADA announced that PFL women’s flyweight Taila Santos has accepted a six-month suspension for violating the promotion’s Anti-Doping Policy. The drug-testing agency revealed that the 31-year-old Brazilian tested positive for banned substances, including oxandrolone and its metabolites, as well as clenbuterol, following an out-of-competition sample collected on March 21.

The suspension is effective for six months, with Santos' ineligibility retroactively beginning from the date her sample was collected. She will be eligible to return to competition on September 21.

As a result of the failed drug test, Santos was removed from her scheduled fight against Juliana Velasquez at the April 12 PFL World Tournament event.

Santos’ most recent appearance came at the 2024 PFL World Championship in November, where she was stopped in the second round by reigning flyweight champion Dakota Ditcheva. The defeat marked her first loss in four PFL appearances.

Santos parted ways with the UFC in November 2023, leaving the promotion with a 4-3 record. Her exit followed back-to-back losses, including a narrow split decision defeat to Valentina Shevchenko in a UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship bout at UFC 275 in July 2022.