UFC veterans Thiago Santos and Yoel Romero are set to fight at the PFL vs. Bellator pay-per-view on Feb. 24 in Saudi Arabia, with Santos returning after a doping suspension ended his debut season with PFL prematurely.
Thiago Santos and Yoel Romero, both UFC veterans, are ready to rumble. They’re set for a showdown at the PFL vs. Bellator pay-per-view on Feb. 24 in Saudi Arabia. Santos is stoked to be back in action after a surprising doping suspension cut his PFL debut season short.
Santos’ first PFL match didn’t go as planned. He lost to Rob Wilkinson in April. Both fighters, however, tested positive for banned substances post-match. Wilkinson’s test showed an elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio. Santos? Well, he tested positive for clomiphene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator.
Santos opened up about it on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast. He said, “It was a mistake I made for trusting the doctor.” He insisted he’s never taken anything illegal. He even mentioned his USADA jacket, a symbol of 50 clean tests. He trusted a doctor who prescribed a supplement, assuring him it wouldn’t cause any issues with USADA. Santos didn’t double-check. He was blindsided when he failed the drug test.
Santos got slapped with a six-month suspension. He said, “USADA doesn’t want to know. What you put in your body is your responsibility.” He admitted it was a mistake to trust others blindly. But he’s learned his lesson. He added, “My conscience is clear.”
He also clarified, “It wasn’t testosterone or any of that. I didn’t use anything to cheat.” He pointed out that his opponent was caught with testosterone. He said, “He talked a bunch of crap about me, he’s younger than me, and was caught with testosterone.”
Now, the Brazilian fighter is back, ready to claim his first PFL win against Romero. Romero, a former training buddy, had a 2-2 run in Bellator after a notable 9-4 UFC stint. Romero’s last fight was a light heavyweight title bout against Vadim Nemkov in June, which he lost.
Santos is excited about the fight. He said, “Romero is a legend of the sport and I’m really happy with this fight.” They have a good relationship and trained together years ago. Santos never thought he’d fight Romero one day, but here they are. He’s thrilled about the opportunity.
Santos revealed they never went full throttle during their sparring sessions. He believes that’s why Romero, soon to be 47, is still competing at the top level. As for the upcoming fight, Santos said, “there’s no mystery.” Each fighter will stick to their strengths.
Santos described Romero as a wrestler who doesn’t use his wrestling much. He said, “He likes to strike sometimes, but he’s still an Olympic-level wrestler and we can’t rule that out.” Santos, a striker, plans to keep the fight on the feet. He won’t try to wrestle with an Olympic-level wrestler. He concluded, “There’s no mystery here.”