Petition for suspended UFC welterweight Nick Diaz hits goal of 100,000 signatures

A White House petition to lift a five-year ban on UFC fighter Nick Diaz hit 100,000 signatures early Wednesday, capping off a push by supporters in its final days.

“#ThankYouAll 100,” Diaz, 32, wrote today on Twitter.

The petition reached the threshold required for White House comment two days before it was set to expire. As of this writing, it has garnered nearly 110,000 signatures. A request for comment from the White House press office was not immediately returned.

Diaz was suspended for a half-decade, among other penalties, by the Nevada State Athletic Commission in the wake of his third marijuana infraction stemming from a decision loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 183.

The penalty drew immediate support from MMA fans, one of whom posted the petition on Sept. 14, the same day the NSAC handed down its decision.

“Nick Diaz was unfairly banned from being a professional fighter by the Nevada Athletics Commission,” wrote “T.C.” from Boaz, Ala. “They ruled based on their personal feelings and beliefs towards the use of medical Marijuana and used their power to deprive Mr. Diaz of being able to make a living.”

Diaz’s petition was also championed by his former opponent, ex-welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, as well as several celebrities, from comedian Katt Williams to musicians Wiz Khalifa and Cher.

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