The highly-anticipated boxing match between YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul and UFC legend Nate Diaz has been steeped in controversy regarding the use of PEDs. The two starshave engaged in a heated back-and-forth on the issue, with both men accusing the other of skirting the rules. However, neither has ever failed a test under VADA, USADA or any local commission testing.
To put to rest any concerns surrounding PED use, both bpxers have agreed to undergo strict VADA testing before their upcoming August 5 bout at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, according to Mirror’s sources. The VADA will conduct random checks for any infractions in the lead-up to the card.
Paul had previously undergone full VADA testing for his card with Tommy Fury back in February, while Diaz had undergone stringent random USADA checks as a UFC star for the last seven years. Despite this, both stars have accused the other of using PEDs in damning tweets leading up to the event.
Paul’s early-career wins over UFC legends such as Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren, and Anderson Silva have led some detractors to suggest that he had used PEds to fuel his victories. However, there has never been any evidence to support these claims, and every publicly available test result he has turned in since beginning to box in 2018 has been negative.
Diaz has also faced accusations of PED use in the past. However, in a 2019 ruling by USADA, the UFC were permitted to reinstate stars who have tested for less than 100 picograms/mL of certain chemicals. Diaz was said to have double-digit picograms in his system, which was said to mean he would need to have ingested 10,000 capsules of a multivitamin to gain any kind of performance-enhancing benefit.
In response to Diaz’s accusations, Paul brought up Diaz’s past issues with testing before his 2019 Madison Square Garden headliner with Jorge Masvidal. Diaz had an atypical reading in an out-of-competition USADA test for traces of LGD-4033, or Ligandrol, a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) which builds lean muscle mass. Diaz was fully exonerated just days later.