Ketlen Vieira Suspended Six Months After Positive Drug Test Following Cyborg Fight
Vieira tested positive for a banned steroidal substance after her August loss to Cris Cyborg at PFL Tampa.
Ketlen Vieira has been suspended for six months after both her A and B samples returned positive for a banned steroidal substance, per a Sherdog exclusive.
The positive test came from Vieira's in-competition collection at PFL Tampa on Aug. 22, where she fought Cris Cyborg. Mike Mazzulli, director of the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation, confirmed the suspension but declined to name the specific substance. The Mohegan Tribe department replaced USADA as PFL's anti-doping partner in 2025. The suspension is retroactive to the date of the fight.
The bout was originally scheduled as the first defense of Cyborg's PFL women's featherweight title, but Vieira missed weight by more than seven pounds. The fight was reclassified as a non-title bout at 153 pounds. Cyborg won, improving her record to 30 victories and extending an unbeaten run that stretches nearly eight years, since she lost the UFC featherweight title to Amanda Nunes.
Vieira told MMAFighting.com that severe kidney and stomach pain before weigh-ins prevented her from making the featherweight limit. She offered no public explanation for the positive test.
Cyborg called the circumstances "extremely unusual" and said she accepted the fight knowing she was giving up a significant physical advantage. She thanked Mazzulli and said she believes "clean sport deserves strong enforcement." Cyborg also acknowledged her own 2011 positive test for a banned substance, saying she served that suspension and overhauled her team and supplement protocols.
The 41-year-old Cyborg said the performance led her to reconsider retirement. She intends to fight twice more in MMA and once in boxing. Vieira, 33, spent nearly a decade in the UFC and went 10-5 in the promotion before the organization did not re-sign her. Representatives for Vieira, the PFL, and the Florida Athletic Commission did not respond to requests for comment, per Sherdog.
This is a bad look for Vieira, and the pieces were right there. Missing weight by seven-plus pounds, looking noticeably strong on fight night, now testing positive for a steroidal substance. Connect the dots.
I respect that Cyborg handled this with class. She acknowledged her own history, didn't pile on, and still advocated for clean sport. That's growth. And the fact that she took the fight at a massive weight disadvantage and still won tells you everything about where these two are in their careers.
The bigger question here is whether PFL's testing infrastructure is where it needs to be. Mazzulli's operation has a solid reputation, but the fact that this is coming out nearly two months after the fight raises eyebrows. Fighters deserve to know what they're walking into before the cage door closes, not after the fact. Six months is the minimum for this kind of violation. Don't be surprised if we never see Vieira compete again.
