Braulio Estima has spoken publicly about what he sees as one of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s biggest problems: PED use.
And, well, his warnings carry an added layer of context, given his own history with the issue.
Estima, a four-time IBJJF world champion and two-time ADCC titleholder, tested positive for a banned PED at the 2014 World Championship, confirmed at the time by USADA, which handled testing for IBJJF competitors.
The result stripped him of his 2014 world title and led to a two-year suspension – a career setback he now references directly when cautioning others:
There are people that go there and use ste**ids when they’re since young.
This is detrimental to your body.This is just because you try to kind of affect your life in order to get a title.
And afterwards, you have all the implications that comes with.
His concerns extend beyond competitive consequences.
He also pointed to troubling patterns he’s observed in bodybuilding specifically:
I think the abuse of s**roids is very dangerous.
I think everyone should have all the athletes that if they want to be a professional, they need to have a follow-up with the doctors and be safe.You see these, especially when you talk about st**oids, brings me to the bodybuilding side… How many young kids, 22 years old, dying with a heart attack because of abuse of ster**ds?
Because ster**ds is dangerous for the fact that it can get you ad*icted.You want to get bigger and bigger and you think the more you do it, the better the more you’re going to get.
But without understanding what’s happening on the inside, this can be a very, very, very dangerous route to go.
His 2014 case remains well documented.
After his semifinal that year, effectively his last competitive match since he and teammate Romulo Barral had agreed to split the final rather than compete, Estima took a shared pre-workout supplement he later identified as NO Xplode.
USADA testing found a prohibited stimulant in his system, and the IBJJF issued the maximum penalty available: a two-year ban, along with rescinding his 2014 title.
The case marked only the second USADA-confirmed doping positive in IBJJF history since testing began in 2013, following an earlier case involving Gabi Garcia that same year.
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