Brazilian jiu-jitsu superstar Tayane Porfirio has announced her return to Alliance team after spending time with Gracie Barra and Roger Gracie affiliations over the years. The two-time IBJJF World Champion’s move marks another significant change in her competitive career, which has seen several transitions in recent years. Tatame was the first to report on the switch.
The announcement comes on the heels of Porfirio’s impressive comeback to IBJJF competition at the London Open, where she secured double gold medals. Her return to competitive BJJ follows a four-year suspension from USADA that began in June 2018 and lasted through February 2023. This is one of the longest USADA suspension in the history of the sport. Porfirio, then 24, tested positive for 19‐norandrosterone (19‐NA) and 19-noretiocholanolone. Both of these are metabolites of nandrolone.
“For me, this comeback means overcoming,” Porfirio shared in an exclusive interview with Flograppling. “I went through frustrations. It was three years not trusting myself.”
During her hiatus from competition, Porfirio experienced significant life changes, including becoming a mother. “I confess that my life only started to make sense after I found out I was pregnant,” she said. Her daughter Maria was born on September 22, 2022, in London, where Porfirio currently resides.
Before her suspension, Porfirio had established herself as a dominant force in the super heavyweight division. In her first year as a black belt in 2017, she achieved the prestigious IBJJF Grand Slam by winning all four major IBJJF titles in the same year.
The landscape of the super heavyweight division has evolved during her absence, with athletes like Gabi Pessanha and Yara Soares emerging as dominant figures. Porfirio and Pessanha have already faced each other three times in other circuits, with Porfirio winning their first encounter at BJJ Bet (2021) and Pessanha securing victories in their subsequent two matches at the 2021 Abu Dhabi World Pro qualifiers.
Porifio was also invited to ADCC 2019 in hopes of matching her with Gabi Garcia however the division received no fanfare.
