It looks like Nate Diaz may have to lay off the weed, at least while he gets ready to box Jake Paul later this summer.
Wednesday, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which is in charge of overseeing combat sports in the state, told MMA Junkie, following an initial report by MMA Fighting, that Diaz will be subject to marijuana testing for his eight-round boxing match against Paul on Aug. 5 in Dallas.
“Mr. Diaz will be held to the same rules as everyone else who competes in combative sports events in Texas.”
Although many states and other regulating bodies like the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), no longer punish fighters for detected marijuana use, the TDLR has a strict 50 ng/ml THC threshold in which any THC level over 50ng/ml is a violation.
Tests over the THC threshold will receive a 90-day suspension and $500 fine. If the athlete wins her or his fight, the win also will be overturned to a no contest.
"WAIT, WHAT HAPPENED?"
Nate Diaz was thrown for a loop hearing about Texas' zero tolerance policy on marijuana. 😳#PaulDiaz | Faceoff video: https://t.co/tmyRBQbiZy pic.twitter.com/pbLPSqTNkj
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) May 9, 2023
Diaz is open about his use of marijuana and has been seen smoking at press conferences and open workouts for his UFC fights. MMA Junkie asked Diaz at Tuesday’s press conference promoting the event about general drug testing, to which Diaz said.
“There’s a lot of weed in (my system). There is.”
MMA Junkie specifically followed up about how Diaz would deal with the no tolerance policy for marijuana in the state of Texas, something that caught him off guard.
“Wait what happened?” Diaz asked. “Well, let’s go to California.”
For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Paul vs. Diaz.
