Mikey Musumeci has just revealed that UFC BJJ will actually start testing for PEDs relatively soon. It’s pretty important news that’s actually flown under the radar, even though it has big implications for the sport. As it stands the IBJJF and the UAEJJF are the only major organizations that tests athletes and even then, only the champions or medalists of a handful of major tournaments. This means that many elite competitors have never undergone any testing at all and some of the best in the world openly admit to using PEDs. This has left Jiu-Jitsu in a very difficult position as a growing sport that’s trying to appeal to the general public, and it’s been a tough problem that needs solving for quite some time.
Musumeci has been openly against the use for PEDs for many years now, and has even faced criticism from top competitors like Gordon Ryan for that stance. He’s also one of the most-tested competitors in the sport due to both his success on the mats and the specific promotions he has competed for. He’s taken several tests when winning his IBJJF World Championship titles and also when competing for ONE Championship, and has passed them all without any issues. He isn’t the only competitor who has been pushing for a cleaner sport of course, and other big names like the Ruotolo brothers have been outspoken about this too.
Although Musumeci has had some pushback for his opinions, he has never changed his mind on this and it must be great for him to see a bigger drive for testing in the sport. As the biggest combat sports organization in the world, the UFC is in the unique position to help improve the sport in this respect. Obviously their use of exclusive contracts has been criticised lately and for good reason, as that aspect of their business model may well hold back the growth of the sport instead. Regardless, increased testing is undeniably a positive when it comes to Jiu-Jitsu attempting to break further into the mainstream consciousness.
Mikey Musumeci first revealed that UFC BJJ was going to start testing for PEDs during a Q&A session on his official Instagram account, where he outlined what he expects from the promotion:
The inaugural season of UFC BJJ with Musumeci and Rerisson Gabriel as coaches has only recently been announced and at the time of writing, is just days away from it’s debut episode. The first season will see three champions crowned; as the cast of lightweights and welterweights will be battling it out throughout the season and Musumeci and Gabriel will compete for the bantamweight title in the finale. Mikey Musumeci later went into a little more detail about the plans that UFC BJJ have for PEDs testing, revealing that it’s set to start in 2026 for all title matches:
