The Nevada Athletic Commission has handed UFC fighter Nick Diaz a five-year (yes, five-year) suspension after he tested positive for marijuana following UFC 183.
Diaz lost to Anderson Silva at the event back in January.
The 32-year-old has also been fined $165,000.
Official: Nick Diaz suspended for five years, fined 33 percent of his $500,000 purse.
— John Morgan (@MMAjunkieJohn) September 14, 2015
The reaction to the news has been pretty much unanimous.
Diaz was just suspended 5 years for smoking pot. You are the absolute worst, NAC.
— Jeremy Botter (@jeremybotter) September 14, 2015
Banning Nick Diaz five years is one of the more unethical things I've seen in fight sports, which is side of sports solely for gross people.
— Luke Thomas (@SBNLukeThomas) September 14, 2015
Nick Diaz suspended five years...for lethal mix of pot and disrespect. Fined $500,000. Logic couldn't find its way to the hearing.
— Chuck Mindenhall (@ChuckMindenhall) September 14, 2015
Nick Diaz suspended for 5 years for marijuana. Absurd how they got to that. This is a dark day for combat sports.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 14, 2015
Chairman of the NAC Francisco Aguilar said that the suspension had more to do with Diaz's 'disregard' for the rules of the sport than his use of marijuana.
This not just a case of marijuana. I think this is a case of complete lack of disregard for the sport.
This is Diaz's third suspension for the use of the drug.
He will not be eligible to fight again until January 31, 2020.
