Floyd Mayweather Jr. comes to Nick Diaz's defense after weed suspension

One of MMA’s most recognizable names is getting some support from an unlikely source.

This past week, the Nevada State Athletic Commission issued a lengthy suspension to UFC welterweight Nick Diaz following his latest marijuana-related offense.

That stumped boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., a five-division champ who’s often battled with the UFC, champ Ronda Rousey and other MMA notables in the media (remember that time Mayweather and Rousey were bickering about their paydays?).

This time, though, the recently retired pay-per-view kingpin was clearly on Diaz’s side.

In a video released on his official YouTube channel, Mayweather Boxing Channel, Jeff Mayweather, Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s uncle, asked him if he had heard about Diaz’s five-year suspension.

“Huh?” Mayweather Jr. asks in disbelief. “Man, let that man smoke weed and enjoy his life.”

And that was basically the gist of the entire video. Still, it’s another voice of support for one of MMA’s most polarizing fighters.

During a Sept. 14 hearing, the NSAC handed Diaz (27-9 MMA, 7-7 UFC) the five-year term and issued a $165,000 suspension for a failed marijuana test stemming from his January bout with Anderson Silva (33-6 MMA, 16-2 UFC) at UFC 183. The 32-year-old had tested positive for the banned substance twice in the past, and his third offense was met with one of the harshest punishments handed out by the NSAC.

Diaz’s suspension has been harshly criticized – both for its severity, as well as the testing of marijuana at all – by many in the MMA community. A White House petition requesting Diaz’s ban to be lifted had collected more than 52,000 of the 100,000 needed signatures of this morning.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.