UFC
UFC fighters sanctioned for doping: How long were their suspensions?
UFC featherweight Luis Pajuelo has accepted a ban after failing multiple drug tests just 12 months after being handed a contract by Dana White.
Luis Pajuelo’s career in UFC is over before it started - at least for now. The Peruvian was one of three fighters who were handed contracts by Dana White in Week 4 of the Contender Series 7 but it seems his UFC dream is now in tatters after he was found guilty of violating the company’s anti-doping policy.
Pajuelo was selected for out-of-competition doping control tests on 5 and 21 August. The results of those tests came back positive for 19-norandrosterone and Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) “analysis consistent with the exogenous origin of testosterone and its metabolites.” Both are anabolic steroids that are prohibited for UFC fighters.
The 29-year-old South American fighter also admitted taking deca-durabolin - an injectable anabolic steroid commonly used by bodybuilders to build muscle mass.
Two-year bans for Pajuelo and Lutterbach
On Thursday, Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) confirmed that Pajuelo has accepted a two-year suspension as punishment for violating UFC’s anti-doping policy. The ban has been applied retroactively to the last week in August which means that Pajuelo will be eligible to return on 24 August 2026.
Pajuelo gained his UFC contract last year following his first-round TKO victory against North American, Robbie Ring in the the Contender Series. He made his UFC debut against Mexico’s Fernando Padilla in the featherweight category at UFC 89 in March. The bout was over in under three minutes as Padilla forced his opponent to submission with a d’arce choke.
His begins his ban with an 8-2 pro record with wins by TKO against Manuelo Morales Etoube, Flavio Hurtado, David Magliano Costa, Malambo Pelaez, Heber Pereyra and Robbie Ring. Prior to turning pro, his record was 6-1 on the amateur circuit.
The UFC have cracked down on steroid abuse and launched its new UFC Anti-Doping Policy late last year. From 31 December 2023, UFC athletes have been subject to no-notice sample collections by UFC’s new biological sample collection and shipping agency, Drug Free Sport International (DFSI), or one of its contracted affiliates.
Since then several fighters have been served santions. Brazilian, Joilton Lutterbach was handed a 24-month suspension and his UFC contract was terminated after a urine sample revealed traces of 3a-Hydroxy-2a-methyl-5a-androstan-17-one, a metabolite of drostanolone, a prohibited anabolic steroid.
Lutterbach’s suspension began on 23 June 2024 and will expire on 23 June 2026.