Free At Last, Free At Last, Nick Diaz is Free At Last
Last year, Nick Diaz was suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission for a third marijuana violation in the state.
Today, during a hearing that streamed live on UFC Fight Pass, the NSAC reduced its penalty against Diaz after a settlement agreement. Diaz will be suspended 18 months (retroactively) and fined $100,000 stemming from a positive test for marijuana at UFC 183 on Jan. 31, 2015.
Diaz was not able to provide a clean sample to the NAC, as stipulated due to his previous drug test failures, until a few days before his fight with Anderson Silva.
The popular UFC star should be able to fight again by Aug. 1. The commissioners quickly approved the settlement unanimously Tuesday without mentioning the terms.
Initially, the NAC suspended Diaz for five years and fined him $165,000 in September. The length of time caused a gigantic stir, extending far beyond realm of MMA. The decision was met with ire from fans, fighters, politicians and celebrities. An online White House petition to get it overturned earned more than 100,000 signatures.
The NAC, though, never filed a written decision to Diaz’s legal team, which opened up the door for settlement talks. The UFC’s law firm Campbell & Williams joined the fight later in the fall.
