PFL heavyweight Daniel James fails third drug test, suspended 10 months
Heavyweight Daniel James has been handed another drug test suspension.
PFL anti-doping partner USADA announced a 10-month suspension for James (15-7-1) after he tested positive for bis-(4-cyanophenyl) methanol, a metabolite of letrozole, during an out-of-competition drug test May 8.
James, 42, has now been suspended three times since early 2022 for failed drug tests. The previous two failures were through Bellator's independent drug-testing run by Association of Boxing and Combat Sports Commissions (ABC) president Mike Mazzulli, so this failure was not marked a secondary or tertiary offense.
In April 2022, James was pulled from a bout vs. Davion Franklin suspended for an undisclosed banned substance. In 2023, James' November 2022 win was overturned due to the detection of a banned anabolic substance.
James most recently competed in April when he finished Marcelo Golm with strikes. He missed weight for the bout. He was then scheduled to rematch Tyrell Fortune in June, but withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: PFL heavyweight Daniel James fails third drug test, suspended 10 months