Rider Zuchi Stripped of 2026 World Title, Suspended Three Years
USADA says the heavyweight tested positive at the 2026 Worlds, and the IBJJF now lists Nicholas Maglicic as the heavyweight world champion.
Rider Samelo do Amaral, the black belt who competes as Rider Zuchi, has accepted a three-year suspension for an anti-doping rule violation, according to a USADA announcement the IBJJF published on September 21. He is disqualified from every result in competitions sanctioned by the IBJJF or by any World Anti-Doping Code signatory since August 23, 2024, and forfeits the medals, points and prizes that came with them, including the adult black belt heavyweight title he won at the 2026 World Championship.
What the test found
USADA collected the sample in competition at the 2026 World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship on May 31, 2026. It returned drostanolone and a drostanolone metabolite, along with 19-norandrosterone, a metabolite of nandrolone or other 19-norsteroids, above the minimum reporting level. All of them are anabolic agents that are prohibited at all times. The IBJJF is not a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Code, but it contracted USADA to run testing at the Worlds, and USADA collected and analyzed the sample under the World Anti-Doping Agency's international standards.
The suspension
The three-year period of ineligibility began on July 1, 2026, the date his provisional suspension was imposed. The otherwise applicable penalty was four years. He received a one-year reduction under Article 10.8.1 of the World Anti-Doping Code, which applies when an athlete admits the violation and accepts the sanction within 20 days of being charged. Samelo do Amaral is 30 and from São Paulo, Brazil.
The 2026 world title
Samelo do Amaral won the adult black belt heavyweight division at the 2026 Worlds for his first black belt world title. According to the IBJJF's black belt recap from June 4, he beat Leo Ferreira in the semifinal and Nico Maglicic in the final, where he won by four points. The IBJJF's official results for the event no longer list him, and the heavyweight podium now reads:
| Place | Athlete | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicholas Maglicic | Atos Jiu-Jitsu |
| 2 | Leonardo Silveira Ferreira | Alliance |
| 3 | Francisco Papasidero | AOJ |
| 3 | Luiz Felipe “Felipinho” Assis | Alliance |
Every result since August 23, 2024 is disqualified
USADA gives August 23, 2024 as the date he began using the prohibited substances, so the disqualification reaches back to that day. As of September 23, the IBJJF's results pages for its majors, BJJ Pro events and Jiu-Jitsu Con still list him on six adult black belt heavyweight podiums inside that window. Under the ruling, each of these results is disqualified.
| Event | Date | Result as listed |
|---|---|---|
| São Paulo BJJ Pro 2024 | September 2024 | Silver |
| European Championship 2025 | January 2025 | Bronze |
| World Championship 2025 | June 2025 | Bronze |
| Jiu-Jitsu Con International 2025 | August 2025 | Gold |
| Pan Championship 2026 | March 2026 | Silver |
| Brasileiro 2026 | May 2026 | Silver |
His bronze at the 2024 World Championship, decided on June 2, 2024, came before that date and is not affected.
The ranking
As of September 23, the IBJJF's 2025 to 2026 adult male black belt gi ranking lists Rider Zuchi Samelo do Amaral 14th with 409 points. The ruling includes the forfeiture of points from every disqualified result.
Sources
- USADA Sanction: Rider Zuchi (IBJJF, September 21, 2026)
- 2026 World Championship Black Belt Recap (IBJJF, June 4, 2026)
- World Championship 2026 results (IBJJF)
- 2025 to 2026 adult male black belt gi ranking (IBJJF)
