Yatan Bueno has now been stripped of the IBJJF World Championship title that he won earlier this year after failing a PEDs test conducted at the tournament. He has also been suspended from IBJJF competition for a period of 3 years, which will begin from the date that his provisional suspension was imposed. Bueno’s 3-year suspension starts on July 12th, 2024 and he will not be able to compete at any IBJJF tournaments until that same date has passed in 2027. Bueno has actually received a slightly lighter sentence than the promotion could have enforced, as he was eligible for a one-year reduction because he admitted the violation and accepted the sanction.
Bueno was promoted to black belt in 2017 and has built his way up to the highest levels of the sport, winning several Abu Dhabi Grand Slam events over the past few years. That led to his first major IBJJF title earlier this year, when he was able to come out on top at the IBJJF Pan Championship 2024. It was the biggest achievement of Bueno’s career up until that point and it appeared to mark the moment that he announced his arrival to the top of the ultra-heavyweight division. Interestingly, there was also testing in place for the IBJJF Pan Championship and Bueno’s sample presumably came back clean at that point as nothing has been announced about it.
He continued that success into the IBJJF World Championship 2024, where he won the ultra-heavyweight division again. That title will no longer stand though, as Bueno’s sample tested positive for 19-Norandrosterone (19-NA), which is a metabolite of nandrolone and other 19-norsteroids. USADA also analysed Bueno’s sample using Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS), a test that unequivocally differentiates between anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) that are naturally produced by the body and those of synthetic origin. The IRMS analysis further confirmed the presence of 19-NA in Bueno’s sample and it is what led to the IBJJF imposing the 3-year suspension.
With Yatan Bueno stripped of his IBJJF World Championship following the positive PEDs test, that means that the rest of the podium will now move up one place in his absence. The silver medalist who Bueno beat in the final was Pedro Alex, and he will now be promoted to champion for 2024 when the IBJJF announces the updates to the record. Interestingly, this will actually be Alex’s first World Championship title after he has also spent several years competing at black belt. Assuming everything falls in line with the usual practice when champions have been stripped, Seif Eddine-Houmine and Kjetil Lydvo will be upgraded to silver and bronze medalists respectively.