Nate Diaz denied drug exemption due to drug testing leading up to Jake Paul fight

Nate Diaz and Jake Paul will face off in the boxing ring on August 5th at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The eight-round pay-per-view (PPV) event on Showtime marks Diaz’s professional boxing debut after a successful career as a UFC mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter.

Diaz was denied an application for a waiver with the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation (TDLR). TDLR has a zero-tolerance policy on cannabis use, but Diaz executive Zach Rosenfield requested an exception.

Questions arose as to whether the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) — an organization that provides anti-doping practices and programs in boxing and mixed martial arts — could replace the TLDR, MMA Fighting first reported. A TDLR spokesman told MMA Fighting’s Steven Marrocco that the same rules apply to Diaz as to everyone else in combat sports.

For now, it looks like Diaz is still being tested for THC.

“We will be working with VADA on pre-fight testing and complying with all VADA rules and TDLR rules and regulations,” Zach Rosenfield, president and Diaz manager of Real Fight, Inc., told the High Times.

Many professional athletes know what they can and cannot pass on drug tests for marijuana, and how long it takes to do so. “We’re going to test,” Diaz told reporters at a news conference, referring to the drug test sample. “There’s a lot of weed in there [my system]. There are.”

Diaz mocked Paul on Twitter, after which the former YouTuber hit back. “Are you talking to me, Nathan?” Paul said, replying to Diaz’s tweet. “We haven’t forgotten that you tested positive for steroids. You and your friend Connor are juice heads. Let’s do 15 rounds and see how good these cannabis corroded lungs are. VADA will come to Stockton to slap you.”

Had it been a UFC fight, the request might have yielded a different result. The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has passed guidelines to stop penalizing UFC fighters in 2021 if a drug test detects THC.

In addition to TDLR’s mandatory drug testing, Diaz and Paul will likely provide samples to VADA both before and after their boxing match in Dallas.

Everything is at stake for Paul’s boxing career, at least. A surprise knockout by Tommy “The Truth” Fury on February 26th in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia cost bettors big. This puts Paul 6-1 in the ring, beating AnEsonGib, Nate Robinson, Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley twice.

Paul has undergone multiple drug tests since his transformation from YouTube star (along with his brother Logan) to boxing. Paul didn’t like a reporter’s question during a pre-Diaz fight interview, who implied he wasn’t destined for the Hall of Fame.

“Look, I’ve done more for the sport than any boxer in current history,” Paul said. “What did Floyd Mayweather do for women’s boxing? The list goes on. I changed the entire game, gained a new 70 million followers for esports, and launched bigger pay-per-views than some of these Hall of Famers. Ryan Garcia-Gervonta “Tank” Davis, 800,000 pay-per-views. Me vs. Tommy, 830,000. So you want to talk about the Hall of Famers? Would you like to talk about the resume? Yeah, I’m building it, mate. I’ve only just started this game. This is my eighth fight and I’m fighting Nate Diaz, one of the greatest MMA fighters in history. So, yeah, that’s my résumé.”

Diaz and his brother Nick have advocated marijuana reform for years. The two eventually founded Game Up® Nutrition, a plant-based wellness company offering products packed with cannabinoids, adaptogens, and superfoods.

Over a decade ago, Nick told the Los Angeles Times his method of cleaning before a drug test. This followed a technical knockout (TKO) victory over Frank Shamrock, who is also an outspoken cannabis advocate, in 2009.