The UFC 143 rematch between Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit was on and off within 24 hours without much explanation. Well a new report by the NSAC fills us in and reveals that Nick Diaz failed a drug test before the fight for marijuana and will now face a likely one-year suspension.
What was speculated for the last 24 hours has finally been confirmed. The Nevada State Athletic Commission reports that Nick Diaz has tested positive for marijuana metabolites following his UFC 143 fight against Carlos Condit. Diaz will now face disciplinary action which will likely be a one-year suspension from professional fighting.
As a fight fan and a Diaz fan, I am completely baffled. The kid was turning into one of the biggest drawing cards in the UFC. Early estimates for UFC 143 are at around 400,000 which is an impressive number for a non-title fight. The Georges St-Pierre fight would have hovered at anywhere between 800,000-1,000,000 buys. How anyone could throw this all away for marijuana is just stunning.
The kicker here is that if Diaz won the fight, he would have been idle until at least November for the St-Pierre showdown. He could have had plenty of time to do as much marijuana as he wanted and clean up before his next fight. Obviously the guy is smart enough to know what he was doing. Why he would put everything in jeopardy is a mystery.
This is Diaz’s second positive drug test, so he’ll get an automatic one-year suspension. Diaz was first suspended back in 2006 when he fought Takanori Gomi in Las Vegas, NV for Pride FC. It was Diaz’s first fight after leaving the UFC. That was five years ago and somehow over the last five years he has been able to remain clean. Diaz did say that he was going to retire following his UFC 143 fight. Now he won’t have a choice, at least for a year.
The irony here is that whenever Dana White was asked about Nick Diaz over the last several years, he responded that he’d love to have Diaz back in the UFC if he could play the game. In only two fights, Diaz has managed to miss several press conferences and fail a drug test. It would appear to someone like me who only took one psychology class in college that the guy has a big problem with pressure. Getting popped in his first Pride FC fight and now for a test before the biggest fight of his career isn’t a coincidence.
Condit will likely fight the Jake Ellenberger vs. Diego Sanchez winner next. Needless to say, Condit vs. Ellenberger/Sanchez will bring in nowhere near the money of a Diaz rematch. Unfortunately that is neither Condit nor the UFC’s fault.
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Eric G.
Eric is the owner and editor-in-chief of the Camel Clutch Blog. Eric has worked in the pro wrestling industry since 1995 as a ring announcer in ECW and a commentator/host on television, PPV, and home video. Eric also hosted Pro Wrestling Radio on terrestrial radio from 1998-2009. Check out some of Eric's work on his IMDB bio and Wikipedia. Eric has an MBA from Temple University's Fox School of Business.
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