BJJ World Champion Felipe Pena accepts second anti-doping violation from USADA

Today, some rather interesting news emerged in the world of Brazilian Jiu JItsu. The news was that IBJJF Worlds and ADCC champion Felipe Pena accepted an anti-doping violation from USADA. For those that aren’t aware, USADA works with various sports such as MAA (via the UFC) to test if athletes have taken illegal substances.

It turns out that in December 2021, Pena was tested and came back positive for Clomiphene. This is a drug that is commonly used by athletes who wish to cover up a steroid cycle as it restores testosterone levels to make things appear normal. As a result of this revelation, it has been confirmed that Pena has been banned from competition for one year. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time that Pena has been popped either. Back in 2015, he tested positive for using a banned testosterone cream which also led to him forfeiting some of his medals during that period.

For a while, it’s been an open secret in BJJ that many of the top athletes have used supplements. Perhaps the main reason for this is that there’s typically very little USADA testing outside of IBJJF Worlds competitions. This news may also come as bad news for BJJ fans as it potentially puts his ADCC super fight with Gordon Ryan in doubt. Previously, the two had a much-anticipated clash that many fans were looking forward to.