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Former PFL 2018 heavyweight season champion and current UFC light heavyweight Philipe Lins was apparently caught totally off guard by the recent PFL doping scandal. Lins has been making the final preparations for his bout at UFC Fight Night: Kara-France vs. Albazi, where he’s set to take on Maxim Grishin in the opening prelim.
During fight week, he took a moment to answer questions about recent news of the multiple drug test failures coming out of the Professional Fighters League. A list of names that includes Lins’ current teammate and former UFC title contender Thiago Santos.
The doping scandal took American Top Team by surprise
Santos wasn’t the only ATT fighter named in the doping scandal, the list also included former UFC middleweight and recent PFL signing Krzysztof Jotko. In an interview with Ag Fight, ‘Monstro’ detailed how how he was caught off guard by the news, while offering a possible explanation for what may have led to ‘Marreta’s’ failed test.
“I can’t really explain (what may have happened to cause the doping scandal), but it’s a significant number. It’s the first time that it has happened, I think, in any MMA promotion, that 10 athletes tested positive at the same time. Everyone was really surprised over at American Top Team. Two athletes from there failed their tests. Thiago Santos and Krysztof Jotko. We were all surprised and talked to them. Marreta said he was taking some medication and I didn’t talk to Krysztof. I can’t really talk about this a lot, because I don’t take part in any of it.”
Philipe Lins plans to impress at UFC Fight Night
Failed anti-doping tests aside, Lins feels like he has a lot to prove at UFC Vegas 74. Paired up against Maxim Grishin in the first fight of the card, the Brazilian wants to impressive fans and bosses alike with an exciting finish. The reason for the big expectations is quite simple, Monstro is not getting any younger and feels like the 37-year-old needs to impress if he wants to make it to the title mix before his time passes.
“This is my time to shine. I’m going out there to release the Monster. I’m sure I’ll get the win. After that, I want a fight that makes sense when it comes to my goals in this promotion. I’m not that young of a fighter anymore, so I need to take bigger steps. A good win over Max could warrant me ranked guy next. I even have a name in mind already, but I’ll only say it after Saturday. I’ll make the revelation on Saturday.”
In his last outing, Phillipe Lins (16-5) defeated Ovince Saint Preux via KO. Before that, the Brazilian picked up a unanimous decision victory over Marcin Prachnio, in April 2022. The 37-year-old’s last loss took place in June 2020, when he got knocked out by Tanner Boser in his most recent heavyweight outing.
Lins is expected to take on Prachnio at UFC Vegas 74, at the UFC Apex. The June 3 card is scheduled to be headlined by a flyweight bout between Kai Kara-France and Amir Albazi. The night’s co-main event is set to feature a featherweight bout between Alex Caceres and Daniel Pineda.
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