Since the IBJJF began implementing steroid testing, we’ve seen multiple champions get caught. As the list of athletes who have tested positive continues to grow, we thought of making a list of those who have been caught.
Here’s a list of the top BJJ athletes who have failed drug tests.
Braulio Estima
Tested positive for methylhexaneamine, a stimulant, at the 2014 IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship. Received a six-month suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
Gabi Garcia
Gabi Garcia tested positive for clomiphene at the 2013 IBJJF World Championship. However, after a case review, Garcia was found not to be at fault and didn’t receive a suspension.
Felipe Pena
Tested positive for clomiphene, a substance that can mask steroid use or stimulate testosterone production, at an IBJJF event in 2015. Suspended for twelve months by USADA, André Galvão was awarded the world championship title as a result.
Paulo Miyao
Miyao tested positive for clomiphene at the 2016 IBJJF World Championship. This resulted in Paulo being disqualified and banned for two years by USADA.
Kaynan Duarte
Tested positive for a Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARM) at the 2019 IBJJF World Championship. Received a one-year suspension from USADA.
Tayane Porfirio
Tested positive for 19-norandrosterone (19-NA) and 19-noretiocholanolone, metabolites of nandrolone, in 2018. Accepted a four-year sanction from USADA.
Igor Nascimento da Costa Feliz
Tested positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites at the 2022 IBJJF World No-Gi Championships. Accepted a three-year suspension starting January 24, 2023.
Jonnatas Gracie
Tested positive for 19-norandrosterone (a metabolite of nandrolone) and exogenous testosterone at the 2022 IBJJF World No-Gi Championships. Accepted a three-year suspension that started on January 24, 2023.
Yatan Bueno
Tested positive for 19-norandrosterone (19-NA), a metabolite of nandrolone, at the 2024 IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship on June 2, 2024. Accepted a three-year suspension starting July 12, 2024.
Vinicius Ferreira
Tested positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites at the 2022 IBJJF World No-Gi Championships, as confirmed by Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) testing. Ferreira accepted a three-year suspension that started on January 24, 2023.
Lucas Leite
Tested positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites at the 2022 IBJJF World No-Gi Championships, verified by IRMS testing. Leite accepted a three-year suspension that started January 24, 2023.
Pablo Ferreira
Tested positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites at the 2022 IBJJF World No-Gi Championships, confirmed through IRMS analysis. Ferreira accepted a three-year suspension that started on January 24, 2023.
Mica Galvão
Tested positive for clomiphene and its metabolite 4-hydroxyclomiphene at the 2022 IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championships on June 5, 2022. Galvão received a one-year suspension and was stripped of his world title.
Felipe Costa
Tested positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites at the 2022 IBJJF World No-Gi Championships. Costa accepted a three-year suspension from USADA, which started January 24, 2023. He also lost his medal.
Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu
Tested positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites in an out-of-competition urine sample collected on December 20, 2022. He accepted a three-year suspension that started January 27, 2023.
Vagner Rocha
While Vagner didn’t have a positive test, he refused to submit a sample and also received a three-year suspension. Rocha publicly stated that he was using TRT and still uses it under medical supervision.
Roberto Filho
Tested positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites as the result of an out-of-competition urine sample collected on December 20, 2022. He accepted a three-year period of ineligibility that began on January 27, 2023.
José Cardoso
Tested positive for 19-NA, 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one (a drostanolone metabolite), epitrenbolone (a trenbolone metabolite), methasterone, and exogenous testosterone and its metabolites as the result of an out-of-competition urine sample collected on January 24, 2023. He accepted a three-year period of ineligibility that began on February 1, 2023.
Pedro “Bom Bom” Alex
Alex tested positive for clomiphene and its metabolite (Z)-3′-hydroxyclomiphene at the 2024 IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship on June 2, 2024. He accepted a one-year suspension starting July 12, 2024, and was disqualified from his silver medal at the event.
Fellipe Andrew
Tested positive for clomiphene and its metabolites as the result of an in-competition drug test conducted at the 2024 Pan Championship. Andrew’s two-year period of ineligibility began on April 16, 2024, and he was stripped of his title.
Francisco Lo
The most recent athlete who failed his USADA drug test. He tested for two banned substances: 4α-chloro-17β-hydroxymethyl-17α-methyl-18-nor-5α-androstan-13-en-3α-ol and 19-norandrosterone (19-NA), a metabolite of nandrolone.
This failed test resulted in Lo receiving a three-year suspension from IBJJF competition.
Bobby is martial artist for almost 20 years with a BJJ black belt under Professor Sergio Miranda. He is also a karate black and former combat sports athlete, who loves all things grappling.