In a candid interview on Connectcast, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion Fabricio Andrey openly discussed his perspective on PED use in the sport, offering rare insights from an active competitor.
Andrey, who currently competes for Alliance and is signed to ONE Championship, addressed the reality of PED use in high-level grappling competitions when asked about doping controls in jiu-jitsu.
“My sincere opinion about d*ping – I think there has to be a control, not to be that thing, but it’s not something that people can fool,” Andrey said. “People can. The Olympic people can.”
He noted that many testing protocols are ineffective because they’re scheduled in advance: “Data and time marked… I mean, you lost! Only takes good. You want to get there, but you don’t want to inform, just go, ‘I’ll test you 25 of May!'”
When asked if he minded competing against athletes who might be using PEDs, Andrey was surprisingly forthright: “No, I don’t care. I don’t care. But I’m a big fan of genetics, too.”
The BJJ star admitted he has competed against opponents who he strongly suspected were enhanced: “Have you ever fought with someone who you felt attached to the guy and said, ‘Damn it, damn it?’ Yes, yes.”
He specifically referenced the ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club) championships as a particularly challenging environment: “ADCC is freak show, man. It’s freak show, man. You see, man. It’s crazy to get to the bright skin. You say, damn it, man. It’s crazy, man.”
Andrey also acknowledged the physical toll of high-performance training, regardless of PED use: “High performance is not healthy, man. So, like… If people say it’s bad, it’s bad, but… Almost everything, man. Almost everything.”
Despite his relaxed attitude toward competitors who use PEDs, Andrey maintained that he has never used PEDs himself.
When discussing his future prospects in the sport, the 25-year-old estimated he would likely continue competing professionally until age 29-31, citing accumulated injuries from his aggressive training style in his younger years. After his competitive career, he expressed interest in teaching and coaching, particularly working with competitors rather than running a general academy.
Andrey also shared his thoughts on the best competitors in the sport today, naming Gordon Ryan, Kaynan Duarte, and Nicholas Meregali as his top three in No-Gi, while listing Kaynan Duarte, Micael Galvão, and Vitor Hugo as the best in the Gi division.
