Statement On Bruno Arruda da Silva
Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) announced today that Bruno Arruda da Silva of Curitiba, Brazil, has accepted a 6-month sanction for a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy (UFC ADP).
Arruda da Silva tested positive for the presence of 3a-Hydroxy-2a-methyl-5a-androstan-17-one, a metabolite of drostanolone, an anabolic steroid that is prohibited at all times, in a urine sample collected out of competition by Drug Free Sport International (DFSI), the biological sample collection and shipping agency of the UFC’s ADP, on April 11, 2024. The estimated concentration of the drostanolone metabolite in Arruda da Silva’s April 11th sample was less than 1ng/ml. Additionally, Arruda da Silva provided negative samples on March 30, 2024, the date of his last fight, as well as on April 30, 2024, and June 14, 2024. The April 30, 2024, sample was provided by Arruda da Silva to DFSI BEFORE he was notified of the April 11, 2024, adverse finding.
In addition to the above test results, which CSAD and its anti-doping experts have concluded are indicative of low-level contaminant exposure, Arruda da Silva also provided significant cooperation throughout the results management process, including multiple interviews and the provision of supplements and medications he was using for laboratory testing analysis. While the source of the metabolite was never located, CSAD’s science advisor concluded that his sample results alone indicate that the drostanolone was NOT injected, that the exposure was very likely unintentional and based on the negative “bookend” results surrounding the low-level adverse finding, offered no significant performance enhancing benefit gained from this exposure.
While this was Arrudo da Silva’s second violation under the UFC ADP, CSAD and its science advisor reviewed the arbitration decision and related testimony leading to Arruda da Silva’s previous 2-year suspension in 2022 for the presence of boldenone. Based on current anti-doping science, CSAD disagrees with several important pieces of testimony from that arbitration that were provided by United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) witnesses that testified in Arruda da Silva’s hearing. Specifically, CSAD disagrees with USADA’s position that it is not likely that boldenone is found in the meat supply in Brazil. CSAD also disagrees with multiple statements concerning boldenone in the supplement industry made by a USADA witness. That testimony included statements that “it is extremely rare to find a supplement containing boldenone” and “there are no known supplements that contain boldenone.” Boldione, which is a precursor to boldenone, has been identified in numerous supplements over the years and is even listed multiple times in USADA’s “high risk supplement list,” where USADA chronicles prohibited substances found in certain supplements. Boldione will convert into boldenone when ingested or exposed. Additionally, USADA lists one supplement in their “high risk supplement list” that contains boldenone. CSAD has also learned from a Brazilian medical expert that boldenone is regularly distributed and used in creams in Brazil. Something for which exposure to someone using such a cream could result in an adverse finding through contact transfer.
Because of CSAD’s disagreement with multiple pieces of testimony in the Arruda da Silva arbitration hearing that appear to be inaccurate, as well as the lack of consideration of other sources, CSAD is not treating this violation of the UFC ADP as a second violation.
Under the UFC ADP, CSAD evaluates each case and can reduce periods of ineligibility based on the athlete’s degree of fault. In this case, while the testing analysis evidence alone indicates that Arruda da Silva did not intentionally use drostanolone and did not get any significant benefit from his exposure, Arruda da Silva did use several supplements that were not 3rd party tested, certified and approved under the UFC ADP.
For these reasons, CSAD has determined that an appropriate sanction for Arruda da Silva’s adverse finding is a 6-month period of ineligibility. Arruda da Silva’s suspension began on the date he provided the sample to DFSI which led to the adverse finding, April 11, 2024, and will expire 6-months later, on October 11, 2024.
CSAD independently administers the year-round anti-doping program for all UFC athletes. All biological sample collections and shipping under the UFC ADP are conducted by DFSI, the global leader in the anti-doping industry with more than 5,000 collection personnel worldwide. All information concerning the UFC ADP, including all of its written policies and athlete test statistics can be located at ufcantidoping.com. These policies are available in multiple languages, including Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Korean, Japanese and Chinese.
CSAD also makes available a reporting mechanism for known and suspected abuse of performance-enhancing drugs in UFC at the email address [email protected] .
