World Champion Yatan Bueno Accepts Multi-Year USADA Suspension

Yatan Bueno has accepted a three year ban as a result of an adverse test result, USADA announced this week

Sep 11, 2024 by Joe Gilpin

World Champion Yatan Bueno Accepts Multi-Year USADA Suspension

Yatan Bueno has accepted a three-year suspension for adverse testing results at the 2024 IBJJF World Championships, USADA announced this week. Bueno, who won gold at black belt ultra-heavyweight, tested positive for a metabolite of nandrolone and other 19-norsteroids. He is currently the top-ranked ultra-heavyweight in the gi, according to FloGrappling.

As a result of this test result, Bueno will be stripped of his gold medal at the 2024 IBJJF Worlds and Pedro 'Bom Bom' Alex is now the champion at ultra-heavyweight.

Bueno made a video statement earlier this week, saying on his instagram that the decision to use the substance was to aid his recovery in a serious shoulder injury.

This all means he will be unable to compete at any USADA-sponsored events or IBJJF events for three years, with the ban expiring July 12, 2027. He can still compete in organizations and events that do not test.

USADA's official statement can be found on their website here:

USADA announced today that Yatan Bueno, of São Paulo, Brazil, an athlete in the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, has accepted a three-year period of ineligibility for an anti-doping rule violation after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
Bueno, 27, tested positive for 19-Norandrosterone (19-NA), which is a metabolite of nandrolone and other 19-norsteroids, as the result of an in-competition drug test conducted at the 2024 World International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Jiu-Jitsu Championship on June 2, 2024. Additionally, Bueno’s urine sample was analyzed using a specialized test known as Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS), that unequivocally differentiates between anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) naturally produced by the body and AAS of synthetic origin. The IRMS analysis further confirmed the presence of 19-NA in Bueno’s sample. Although the IBJJF is not a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Code (the Code), USADA was contracted by IBJJF to conduct testing for the event and collected and analyzed Bueno’s sample in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Agency’s International Standards.
All 19-norsteroids are non–Specified Substances in the class of Anabolic Agents, which are prohibited at all times under the Code and the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, which applied with slight modifications to the 2024 World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Under Article 10.8.1 of the Code, an athlete who faces an anti-doping rule violation that carries a period of ineligibility of four or more years may receive a one-year sanction reduction if the athlete admits the violation and accepts the asserted sanction within 20 days of notification of the alleged anti-doping rule violation charge. Per the rule, Bueno qualified for a one-year reduction to the otherwise applicable four-year period of ineligibility.
Bueno’s three-year period of ineligibility began on July 12, 2024, the date his provisional suspension was imposed. In addition, Bueno has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained in competitions sanctioned by the IBJJF or by any Code signatory on and subsequent to June 2, 2024, the date his positive sample was collected, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.
In an effort to aid athletes, as well as support team members such as parents and coaches, in understanding the rules applicable to them, USADA provides comprehensive instruction on its website on the testing process and prohibited substances, how to file and update athlete Whereabouts, how to obtain permission to use a necessary medication, and the risks and dangers of taking supplements, as well as performance-enhancing and recreational drugs.
In addition, USADA manages a drug reference hotline, Global Drug Reference Online (www.GlobalDRO.com), conducts educational sessions with National Governing Bodies and their athletes, and distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as a supplement guide, a nutrition guide, a clean sport handbook, and periodic alerts and advisories.
USADA makes available a number of ways to report the abuse of performance-enhancing drugs in sport in an effort to protect clean athletes and promote clean competition. Any tip can be reported using the USADA Play Clean Tip Center, by text at 87232 (“USADA”), by email at playclean@USADA.org, by phone at 1-877-Play Clean (1-877-752-9253) or by mail.
USADA is responsible for the testing and results management process for athletes in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement and is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs.