Tom DeBlass admits he's been on TRT for close to 15 years

Four renowned Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Nogi World champions have been suspended by USADA for an extended period of time, including one runner-up. The suspended athletes are Igor Feliz, Jonnatas Gracie, Roberto ‘Cyborg’ de Abreu Filho, Henrique Ceconi, and Vagner Rocha.

Vagner Rocha, who had previously disclosed that he uses testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), attempted to pre-empt the USADA press release by admitting his use of TRT. In a statement, he said, “I have no shame to say I am on TRT replacement for my body in accordance to a doctor.”

In response, Rocha criticized the IBJJF’s testing policy, saying, “Either you pay and test everyone on the podium or don’t test at all.”

Now another prominent figure in BJJ came out and admitted he’s been on TRT for close to 15 years – Tom DeBlass. DeBlass is a UFC veteran that last competed in MMA in 2013 (UFC in 2012).

DeBlass was never a BJJ World champion in Adult category, his singular claim to fame lays in 2015 Gold medal in Master 1 Absolute division. He also qualified for ADCC several times with his last run ending after he was defeated by Orlando Sanchez in 2017.

DeBlass admits to being on TRT for years

He shared a post on social media detailing that he’s been on TRT since he was 27. He’s currently 40 years old. His post reads:

“This is the last picture you will see of me without exogenous testosterone.”

“I WON MY FIRST PAN AMS, MY FIRST NATIONALS, MY FIRST ADCC TRIALS, COMPLETELY STER0ID FREE. I WAS 27 WHEN I STARTED SUPPLEMENTING LOW DOSE TESTOSTERONE. WHY AM I TELLING YOU? BECAUSE I FEEL IT’S IRRESPONSIBLE IF I DON’T.”

“YOU ALSO HAVE HEARD ME SAY THAT EVERYONE TAKES SOMETHING. THAT IS A BIT IRRESPONSIBLE FOR ME TO SAY BECAUSE IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 25 YEARS OLD, I AM TOTALLY AND UTTERLY AGAINST YOU TAKING STER0IDS.”

“Your body is still developing. At high levels, yes, 98% of people, imo take something. The guy you see me competing against here I’d be willing to bet was on a ton of stuff, and I didn’t care.”

However, DeBlass concluded:

“Let this sink in, at 27, before I took ANYTHING AT ALL, my testosterone was 250. That of a 70 year old man. The doctor told me training 2 a days 7 days a week actually lowered my testosterone significantly. Wild to think about. World class athletes put their body through unimaginable things.”