UFC featherweight Luis Pajuelo suspended 2 years for drug test failures

Luis Pajuelo’s UFC debut didn’t work out the way he hoped for earlier this year, and the news has gotten worse.

Pajuelo (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has been given a two-year suspension for a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy (UFC ADP). Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD), which took over after the UFC and USADA split at the beginning of 2024, announced the 24-month sanction Thursday.

According to CSAD, Pajuelo, 29, tested positive for 19-norandrosterone and elevated levels of exogenous testosterone. The tests were taken over two dates, Aug. 5 and Aug. 21, in Lima in Pajuelo’s home country of Peru and Sao Paulo.

Pajuelo admitted the use of nandrolone ahead of the sample collections, the CSAD said in a release.

Pajuelo’s two-year suspension started Aug. 23, the day he was notified of the first adverse test result. The UFC released Pajuelo after the results were reported, and his admission of nandrolone, CSAD said.

Pajuelo got his shot in the UFC with a first-round knockout of Robbie Ring on Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2023. He made his official promotional debut in March at UFC on ESPN 53 in Las Vegas, but was submitted in less than three minutes by Fernando Padilla and had a five-fight winning streak snapped.

Pajuelo has seven of his eight career wins by knockout, but it appears his next one in MMA will be in the neighborhood of at least two years down the road.