Nick Diaz accepted a one-year sanction from the United States Anti-Doping Agency on Monday, but since the sanction is retroactive to April 19, 2017, the popular UFC star is eligible to return to competition later this month.
The sanction was a result of Diaz failing to make himself available for out-of-competition drug screenings on three separate occasions — two in the in the second and third quarters of 2016 and one in the first quarter of 2017. Diaz hasn’t fought since 2015 but because he technically remains under contract with the UFC he was still enrolled in the UFC Registered Testing Pool as part of the UFC Anti-Doping Program.
As part of the program, fighters are expected to follow its “whereabouts policies.” Since Diaz was not actively competing in mixed martial arts, he did not comply and it resulted in the sanction.
Diaz has been suspended multiple times throughout his career due to his marijuana use.
Even though Diaz can hypothetically fight as soon as later this month, there is still no guarantee we’ll ever see the Stockton, Calif., native compete in MMA again.
The 34-year-old’s most recent fight was at UFC 183 when he lost a unanimous decision to Anderson Silva. That decision was later overturned and changed to a no-contest after it was revealed Silva had tested positive for performance-enhancing substances. Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites after the fight but had served the suspension handed to him by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Diaz (30-6, 1 NC) has only competed thrice in the past six and a half years and his most recent was in 2011. Despite his inactivity, Diaz remains one of the most popular figures in MMA. He holds notable wins over former UFC champions B.J. Penn, Robbie Lawler, Sean Sherk and Frank Shamrock.
[relatedlinks]
