Nick Diaz 5-Year Suspension Reduced to 18-Months

Nick Diaz’s case was back before the Nevada Athletic Commission on Tuesday due to a possible settlement agreement with the commission in regard to the fighter’s five-year suspension and $165,000 fine for testing positive for marijuana.

A pro fighter since 2001, Diaz has a 26-9-2 record, but hasn’t won since decisioning BJ Penn in 2011.

Taking into consideration time already served it means that Diaz could be back in the Octagon fighting by August 1st of this year. The two WADA-accredited tests showed Diaz below the legal limit for marijuana metabolites, while the middle test, by a non-WADA-certified lab, put Diaz at almost five times the legal limit of 150 ng/mL.

What upset many was that Silva, who initially posted a unanimous decision victory over Diaz at UFC 183, flunked multiple tests for multiple performance-enhancing drugs and was only handed a one-year suspension.

During today’s NAC hearing, the commission unanimously approved of the settlement. They then saw fit to hand Diaz a 5-year suspension which effectively would have likely ended his career as a professional fighter.

The NSAC argued that the two negative tests had been diluted and claimed that Diaz had lied on his pre-fight questionnaire. Also, he must provide clean urine samples 30, 15 and three days from his next bout in Nevada for all prohibited in- and out-of-competition substances. Diaz, 32, did not appear at the hearing. A White House petition demanding the suspension be lifted received more than 100,000 electronic signatures past year.

Silva won the fight, but the decision was later overturned and changed to a no contest after he tested positive for steroids. After the meeting, no representatives of the commission offered any further comment.