PFL announces second-half event lineups following 9 fighters receiving drug test suspensions

12.05.2023 22:00

mmafighting.com

Brendan Loughnane | Cooper Neill, PFL

The PFL is moving on amid an embarrassing situation.

Earlier this week, MMA Fighting reported that four of the league’s fighters — including former UFC standouts Thiago Santos and Krzysztof Jotko — tested positive for banned substances and have been removed from competing in the 2023 season, with extended suspensions expected to be handed out by the Nevada Athletic Commission on May 17.

The NAC agenda for the upcoming meeting includes light heavyweights Santos, Jotko, Will Fleury, and Mohammad Fakhreddine, as well as heavyweights Bruno Cappeloza, Rizvan Kuniev, and Cezar Ferreira. According to ESPN, featherweights Alejandro Flores and Daniel Torres have also been suspended, though their names were not included in the agenda for the upcoming meeting. The extension of these suspensions will prevent these fighters from finishing their 2023 campaigns.

The NAC has not officially stated why the listed fighters are facing suspension.

On Friday, the PFL announced its lineups for the second half of the season, with the above names noticeably absent.

See the updated cards for PFL 4 (June 8), PFL 5 (June 16), and PFL 6 (June 23), all of which take place at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, below.