Rider Zuchi has lost the first world title of his career.
The IBJJF has suspended the heavyweight for three years and wiped out his 2026 World Championship gold after an in-competition drug test came back positive.
The sample was collected on May 31, 2026, at the IBJJF World Championship.
It showed drostanolone, a drostanolone metabolite (3α-hydroxy-2α-methyl-5α-androstan-17-one) and 19-norandrosterone, a metabolite of nandrolone or other 19-norsteroids, all above the Minimum Reporting Level.
USADA announced the sanction, and the IBJJF has since revised its results from the event.
The heavyweight podium has been reshuffled as a result. Nicholas Maglicic, who lost to Zuchi in the final, is now the official world champion.
Leonardo Ferreira moves from bronze to silver, and Luiz Felipe Santos takes the final podium spot.
The ban would have been four years, but the World Anti-Doping Code allows a one-year reduction for athletes who admit the violation and accept the sanction.
Zuchi did both. He will not be eligible to compete at IBJJF events until July 1st, 2027.
The suspension leaves him a narrow window to chase another world title.
Plenty of athletes have returned from long bans, and some have gone on to win world championships afterward, so a comeback on the IBJJF mats remains possible once his ineligibility ends.
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