Famed BJJ champion Braulio Estima fails PED test
Braulio Estima on failed PED test: “I cried a lot, but I’m calmer now. I lost my title and my entry into the Jiu-Jitsu Hall of Fame, and it hurt a lot.”
One-time MMA fighter and multiple time BJJ world champion and ADCC weight and absolute champion Braulio Estima has been suspended by the IBJJF for two years, following a positive test for Methylhexaneamine (DMAA). Estima was also stripped of his medium-heavy division title at the 2014 IBJJF World Championships.
The test was administered by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which has not yet made an official statement. The IBJJF is holding off on making a statement until the USADA makes a formal announcement. So, oddly, Estima himself revealed the news, via Twitter.
In an interview with Gracie Mag, Estima said the drug was in a workout drink that another competitor had handed him, after the event was over.
Via Google Translate.
“The problem is we do not know exactly what the drink was,” said Estima. “If I knew, I could have gotten a lighter 60 to 90 day suspension, since it was my first positive test.”
“It was a shock. I’ve never used PEDs before, why would I before the Worlds? First I thought the result could have been caused by a nasal spray I was using before the World Cup, but it was not. Then I remembered that after the semifinal against Murilo Santana, and knowing that Romulo Barral was also in the end, I started partying, and yes I took some energy drinks that some friends were taking in the Pyramid. In my head, I thought I did not have to fight anymore, then it would not be a problem. I was careless, I know.
“I cried a lot, but I’m calmer now. I lost my title and my entry into the Jiu-Jitsu Hall of Fame, and it hurt a lot, but I know that people know me and know my approach to the sport. I have 50 black belts and have never spoken to any of them about taking anything illegal to win a contest. The problem is that we, Jiu-Jitsu, we are not well educated about doping, since the tests are new.
“The suspension will likely be imposed beginning on August 1, 2014, and so I will be able to compete at the 2017 World already tell you now that I’m in shape to compete, I’ll be there.”
DMAA is the same drug for which UFC flyweight Ali Bagautinov received a two-year suspension by the international governing body for Sambo.
Methylhexanamine was developed in the 40s as a nasal decongestant, but was pulled from the market in 1983. When ephedrine was banned in the USA in 2005, methylhexanamine was reintroduced as a dietary supplement.
Following several deaths and hospitalizations, it was banned in a number of countries including the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, Australia, the UK, and Brazil. It was also banned by a number of professional and amateur sports bodies, including the World Anti Doping Agency.