Veteran competitor Rider Zuchi has just been suspended from IBJJF competition for 3 years and stripped of the world title that he just won at the same time. Zuchi tested positive for drostanolone, drostanolone metabolite 3α-hydroxy-2α-methyl-5α-androstan-17-one, and 19-norandrosterone, a metabolite of nandrolone or other 19-norsteroids, detected at a concentration greater than the Minimum Reporting Level. This positive result came from an in-competition drug test conducted at the IBJJF World Championship 2026 on May 31, 2026. Zuchi won a gold medal in the heavyweight division at that event, but that will no longer stand after this positive test and the rest of the podium will be promoted in his absence.
This means that the new official heavyweight world champion for this year is now the man that Zuchi beat in the final, Nicholas Maglicic. The former bronze medalist Leonardo Ferreira is now the official silver medalist instead and taking his place at the end of the podium is Luiz Felipe Santos. This will obviously come as a blow to Zuchi, as this was originally the first world title of his career. His opportunity to win one will also be limited now thanks to the suspension he has been served too, as he will not be eligible to compete at IBJJF events again until July 1st, 2027.
Zuchi’s positive test would have landed him a 4-year suspension initially but under the World Anti-Doping Code allows athletes to receive a 1-year reduction in their sentence if they admit the violation and accept the sanction. The news of Zuchi’s test-failure and resulting suspension was originally released by USADA themselves, and the IBJJF have since updated their results from the tournament to reflect his disqualification too. Many competitors have come back from lengthy suspensions and some have even gone on to win world titles afterward, so Zuchi may well make a comeback on the IBJJF mats once his period of ineligibility is served.