Famed MMA trainer and head coach of the Tristar Gym in Montreal, Quebec, Canada Firas Zahabi thinks Jake Paull will be on performance-enhancing drugs for his upcoming boxing bout with Tyron Woodley.
Zahabi made the claims during a live chat on his YouTube channel where he was breaking down the Paul-Woodley match-up and made it pretty clear he thinks the social media influencer will be using PED’s in preparation to face the former UFC welterweight champion, which ultimately in his opinion could be the difference in the fight.
“I didn’t want to mention it, but my number one factor — Jake Paul’s corner, they’re going to be on all sorts of substances,” Zahabi said (h/t Bloody Elbow). “I don’t think they test. Maybe the week of the fight, (but) there’s no USADA. I didn’t want to say, but I think that’s a major factor. When I say he’s bigger and stronger and he’s more athletic, I think he’s basically on PEDs. I hate to say it, but I definitely think Jake Paul is going to be on PEDs. It exists in the world of boxing, just like it exists in MMA, and I don’t think Tyron will be on PEDs. I think Tyron will be totally natural. Does it make a difference? It absolutely does.”
Paul and Woodley will face off on August 29 in a cruiserweight bout hosted by the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, and that will air on pay-per-view via Showtime Sports. The YouTube star is 3-0 as a professional boxer with his most notable wins coming over former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion Ben Askren and former NBA player Nate Robinson. Woodley on the other hand will make his pro boxing debut against Paul, but is 19-7-1 throughout his MMA career and successfully defended the UFC welterweight title four times during his run as champion.
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