- Thiago Santos opened up about his failed USADA test that had him suspended for half of 2023
- “Marreta” will face Yoel Romero this month at PFL vs. Bellator
Thiago Santos reflected on his failed USADA test last year that prompted the PFL to suspend him.
Thiago takes full responsibility
Speaking to Ag Fight, “Marreta” came clean about taking clomiphene, which happened to be a banned substance as prescribed by his doctor. As it turns out, clomiphene increases men’s natural testosterone output and is frequently used as a recovery aid during doping cycles.
Nevertheless, the former UFC light heavyweight title challenger did not blame anybody but himself.
“Unfortunately, I made the mistake of trusting someone else. I went to the doctor and tried asking for something that could improve my conditioning while training. He prescribed this supplement to me. I didn’t know it was doping, so I trusted him and took it. I was super surprised when I got caught doping. When I got caught, I showed USADA everything, I never denied anything. I said ‘This is what I took, I have the doctor’s prescription right here,'” Santos explained.
“I didn’t know that was doping,” he added. “It’s clear, though. You’re responsible for everything you put in your body. Unfortunately, I made that mistake. Because it was a supplement, I didn’t think it wasn’t clean testosterone. That’s why USADA told me: ‘We’re giving you the smallest punishment possible, which is six months. We can’t give you any less than that’. That’s what happened. A silly mistake. It wasn’t anything that would give me an advantage during the fight. I paid for it and now it’s time to move on.”
Marreta is back
Santos was suspended for the remainder of 2023. This year, he is now cleared to fight and will take on fellow former UFC fighter Yoel Romero at PFL vs. Bellator on Feb. 24.
Santos has yet to secure his first win in the PFL, having lost via unanimous decision to Rob Wilkinson at PFL 1. It was later overturned to a No Contest after Wilkinson tested positive for high testosterone levels.
Quotes via Bloody Elbow.
