Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, and Nick Diaz have all failed drug tests recently. Silva tested positive for anabolic steroids, Jones tested positive for cocaine, and Diaz tested positive for marijuana. Anderson Silva was considered by many to be the best fighter ever. Now, after testing positive for anabolic steroids, some people are having doubts about his accomplishments. How can we be sure he hasn’t always been using illegal substances? Jon Jones’ situation is a little bit different. He tested positive for cocaine in an out of competition test, and went to rehab for a grand total of one night. Finally, we have the perpetual pot smoker, Nick Diaz. Diaz has shown time and time again that he simply doesn’t care about the rules. He just wants to smoke pot. On the other hand, those who want to overcome such addictions to save their lives and their careers, can contact this provider in Austin.
How will all of this potentially impact jiu jitsu? Most BJJ tournaments do not drug test, so there is no way of knowing if someone is using an illegal substance. Jiu jitsu is a growing sport. The bigger it gets, the more pressure competitors will have on them to perform. All humans have mental weaknesses, and by using PEDs you are giving in to those weaknesses. Not even Anderson Silva, the greatest fighter ever, could rise above using steroids. The competitive mindset of MMA is similar to BJJ, which leads me to believe that not everyone is above drug use.
Jiu jitsu has to be careful, or drugs will become a problem. The IBJJF has started drug testing recently, which is excellent. Hopefully more jiu jitsu organizations will begin to drug test as well. You are fooling yourself if you think that all BJJ competitors are clean. We will never truly know if there is a drug problem in BJJ until drug testing becomes the norm. People will
always be looking for an advantage during competition, so let’s do our best to keep jiu jitsu clean!
