Brace yourselves, because Nick Diaz has been suspended for a year by USADA. Meaning he can be back in action in just over a week.
Nick Diaz probably knows where he is at any given moment. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency did not, however. Now, thanks to a trio of “whereabouts” failures, Diaz has been handed a one year suspension by the agency. Not that it will matter. Retroactive to April 19, 2017, the elder Diaz brother will be able to compete in just ten days. USADA announced the news in a press release distributed on Monday.
Per Monday’s press release, the anti-doping organization said that
Like all UFC athletes, Diaz, 34, is a member of the UFC Registered Testing Pool and is therefore subject to certain Whereabouts responsibilities, which allow him to be located for out-of-competition testing. Diaz failed to be available for three tests at the locations provided in his Whereabouts Filings. The first two failures occurred in the second and third quarters of 2016, while the third occurred in the first quarter of 2017. Under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, the accumulation of three Whereabouts Failures within a 12-month period constitutes an anti-doping policy violation.
Unlike most UFC athletes, Nick Diaz probably doesn’t care all that much. The fighter has navigated controversy after controversy during his lengthy MMA career. From suspensions due to his very public marijuana use to brawls to trash talking and everything in between, nothing in today’s sanction is about to change Nick Diaz from being Nick Diaz.
Diaz (30-6 (1)) has not competed since January of 2015, when he lost a bout to Anderson Silva that was later overturn to a no contest. Silva failed a drug test for multiple performance enhancing substances; Diaz popped for weed.
Sadly, his brother had yet to utter his “I’m not surprised, motherf*****s” catchphrase at the time. In any case, the UFC would no doubt dearly like Nick (and/or Nate) back in action. The Diaz name is remains one of the bigger draws in MMA, but convincing them to take fights appears akin to moving mountains.
