Tayane Porfirio has just returned to competition for the first time since serving a four-year suspension for doping charges at the IBJJF London Open on February 19th, 2023, where she won double gold in a fantastic performance. Porfirio was at one point one of the most successful female heavyweight grapplers on the planet, and she was frequently coming away with two gold medals when she stepped on the mats. She’s been absent from the same competitions that made her a popular name in the sport for quite some time though, as a result of doping charges levied against her.
2017 was undoubtedly her best year in competition, where she achieved a feat that so few people have ever managed by winning a grand slam across all major gi competitions. Porfirio won her weight and the absolute division at the IBJJF world championship, the European Championship, the Pan Championship, and Brazilian National Championship all in the same year. She actually started to repeat that feat in 2018 too, when she won her weight and the absolute division at both the European Championship, but unfortunately had to miss the Pan Championship due to injury.
She came back strong and won double gold at the Brazilian National Championship, before finishing out the year with another pair of gold medals from the World Championship. That’s when it all came falling down though, as the samples she provided at the World Championship tested positive for nandrolone and USADA handed her a four-year suspension from IBJJF competition. She was still able to compete for other promotions during this time however, and managed to win a bronze medal at ADCC 2019 along with competing in several superfights at events like BJJ Bet.
Tayane Porfirio made her return to IBJJF competition at the London Open on February 19th, 2023 and she returned to her old form without missing a beat, winning double gold once again. Since Porfirio has been absent from IBJJF competition, the landscape of the division she once ruled over has changed dramatically. Gabrieli Pessanha has quickly established herself as a new dominant force and it’ll be interesting to see what happens as they start to cross paths more often in competition.
