In a hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Monday regarding a failed test for marijuana, UFC competitor Nick Diaz repeatedly invoked the “Fifth Amendment.” That number came back to haunt the 32-year-old, when the NSAC slapped him with a five-year ban, along with a hefty fine.
Diaz tested positive after losing a UFC 183 main-event contest in January to Anderson Silva. As it happened, Silva was revealed to have failed multiple tests for steroids around that fight, and the NSAC handed the Brazilian fighter a one-year ban.
Diaz may not have had much to say during his hearing, but he offered plenty of comments afterwards, unloading on the NSAC.
“I’m pretty p—-d off,” Diaz told MMA Junkie after the hearing. “First of all, this sport, this commission and everybody, they’ve done everything they can to keep me from being all the way on top where I should be. They’ve been doing everything they could to keep me from proving to the world that I’m the best fighter in the world, which I am.
“Those people are nothing but a bunch of crooks up there. … They got me in here sweating bullets in a freaking court room with my lawyers because they all think I’m going to flip out and do something really nuts like I was about this close to doing. I just think that it’s bull—-. I’ll fight anybody in this whole sport. I’ll beat everybody that – I’ve already beat guys that are on the top right now. This is the sort of reason that people don’t understand that I’m the best fighter in the world. They don’t understand that.” …
I wanted to tell [the commissioners] what I think; I wanted to tell each and every one of that they’re a bunch of dorks,” Diaz continued. “Anybody that sees them or knows who they are should tell them that to their face, because I would. I would tell them. I would tell them that if it wasn’t for my experts over here, they advised me to keep my mouth shut so I keep my mouth shut.
Diaz also took issue with the fact that his ban, which could effectively end his career, dwarfed that given to Silva. For its part, the NSAC cited multiple failed tests by Diaz, as well as other incidents of unprofessional conduct.
“I never did steroids in my life; that’s another thing I’ll tell you right now,” Diaz told MMA Junkie. “I know all the fighters and they’re all on steroids. All you mother——s are on steroids. All you mother——s, all of you are on steroids. I already know that. I’m the only person in this sport, for the most part, that ain’t on steroids. Now there’s new rules in effect and there’s guys who aren’t on steroids now, but they used to be. They’ve always been on steroids.”
Diaz and his lawyer, Lucas Middlebrook, may appeal the decision, in hopes of getting the length of the ban reduced.
Fellow MMA fighter Ronda Rousey had this to say about the suspension in a Sept. 16 Associated Press report: “It’s so not right for him to be suspended (for) five years for marijuana,” Rousey said. “I’m against them even testing for weed at all. It’s not a performance-enhancing drug … it’s only tested for political reasons.”
