Jackson Nagai has been making a quiet statement every time he steps onto the competition mat in 2026. Stitched onto his gi is a patch that reads “No St*roids,” a small but deliberate symbol of something bigger he has been trying to build.
“I’ve been competing this season, this year 2026, with a patch on my gi saying ‘No St*roids,'” Nagai said in a recent video. “Unfortunately in our sport, there’s a lot of people on st*roids.”
For Nagai, the issue goes beyond competitive fairness. He points to a culture of self-treatment that has taken root in grappling and combat sports at large, where athletes sidestep medical oversight entirely.
“There’s a lot of people getting no prescription from a doctor and using peptides. They’re using a lot of different things without any good health care. They’re just prescribing for themselves,” he said. “That’s a big problem with st*roids. A lot of young people don’t do a blood check, they don’t go to a good doctor. They just buy stuff. They’re their own doctors.”
What concerns Nagai most is the motivation driving some of these decisions. Beyond performance, he says vanity has become a factor.
“Some guys use st*roids to look good. Imagine how crazy it is. They want to lose fat, they want to look clean, six packs,” he said. “And unfortunately those things are not good for your health physically and also for your mental health.”
He also raises the psychological toll that comes with artificially elevated hormone levels.
“A lot of people with high testosterone are so aggressive. They abuse their wives, they’re crazy aggressive, they can’t control themselves because of the testosterone, the hormones. And I think that’s why it’s so bad for you.”
Nagai’s message, however, is aimed less at policing others and more at offering a different path forward. He believes the appeal of performance-enhancing compounds is often built on a false premise that natural alternatives have been skipped over entirely.
“You can say, ‘Oh, my testosterone level was low.’ Maybe you just need better sleep. How about cutting the sugar? How about fixing your diet?” he said. “A lot of things can make your body stronger and better. You don’t have to use st*roids.”
He also wants to dismantle the perception that the sport’s top champions are clean simply because they are celebrated. The record, he argues, tells a different story.
“Look how many world champions got banned for st*roids. A lot of world champions,” Nagai said. “A lot of people, you think they’re great champions on the mats, but they use st*roids to win.”
The “No St*roids” patch on his gi is not affiliated with any formal organization or testing body. It is, for now, a personal statement.
