Ty Flores Not Surprised By Recent Rash of Failed Drug Tests in PFL

The lineup for the second leg of the Professional Fighters League regular season changed significantly when 10 fighters failed drug tests after the organization’s first three events of 2023.

The light heavyweight field was notably affected, as defending champion Rob Wilkinson was one of four athletes — along with Thiago Santos, Will Fleury and Krzysztof Jotko — who was removed from the campaign as a result of those failed drug tests.

One fighter who remains in contention for the light heavyweight crown is Ty Flores, who is coming off a unanimous decision triumph against Delan Monte at PFL 1. The Elevation Fight Team representative was not surprised to see so many of his counterparts test positive for banned substances.

“I don’t think that PFL is alone in that,” Flores said at PFL 4 media day. “People are gonna cheat in sports. There’s always gonna be cheaters no matter what. I’m never gonna be shocked, especially in a sport like MMA.”

Flores added that he noticed that some of those PFL light heavyweights could have been enhanced on the basis of their appearance alone.

“Did you look at those guys? We talk about [how] you want a level playing field. I almost feel like I’m the only guy that’s not [using PEDs],” he said. “I don’t know if you guys were seeing the same thing that I was, but Jesus Christ, those guys were huge.”

Flores was originally slated to face Wilkinson at PFL 4, but he’ll now lock horns with Dan Spohn on short notice this Thursday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta.

“It’s a little disappointing,” Flores said. “I was gonna get to face the former champ. It was exciting because I do think he was the most well-rounded guy in the division. I was looking forward to it because it was a chance to prove myself.”

Wilkinson was one of 2022’s breakout performers with his PFL championship win following a short stint with the UFC. Flores can see why some people might think that victory is now tarnished, but he also points out that Wilkinson was far from alone in his transgressions.

“Depending on how you look at it [it could]. He got popped but how many of those guys last year were on something?” Flores said. “The majority of them that popped actually lost so it’s not this end-all, be-all. I don’t think it helps you fight better, but I think it helps you recover a little bit more.”