Nate Diaz says he was docked pay for Athlete Outfitting Policy violation at UFC on FOX 17

Nate Diaz

Following the UFC’s issuance of three payment reductions for Athlete Outfitting Policy violations at UFC on FOX 17, a second fighter has come forward to say he had his Reebok check dinged.

Nate Diaz (18-10 MMA, 13-8 UFC) took a unanimous decision from Michael Johnson (16-10 MMA, 8-6 UFC) on the main card at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., at the event on Dec. 19. On Sunday night, Diaz posted on his official Twitter account that he had been docked a portion of his pay for violating the policy.

Diaz, in the tweet, said he was wearing Reebok jeans at the event before saying “u should’ve just kept the whole check I don’t need that baby ass (expletive) anyway” – along with an emoji of a gun.

This past week, MMAjunkie was first to report that three fighters on the card had their Reebok payments reduced for violations of the policy. The fighters’ names were not released, nor were the levels of the fines they received or their specific infractions.

But headliner Donald Cerrone (28-7 MMA, 15-4 UFC), who was stopped 66 seconds into his lightweight title fight against champion Rafael dos Anjos (25-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC), took to his official Twitter account to say he was one of the three for wearing a Budweiser patch.

The payment reductions, which were for “knowingly and seriously” violating the policy, were the first ones issued since the UFC began the Athlete Outfitting Policy this past July following its landmark apparel deal with Reebok.

UFC Senior Vice President of Global Consumer Products Tracey Bleczinski told MMAjunkie this past week that infractions stem from the failure to properly utilize the Reebok Fight Kit during fight week, which includes bringing another brand or competing sponsor to the octagon, weigh-ins, press conferences or open workouts.

Diaz, along with members of his camp, wore shirts from the Represent brand at different times during fight week. Represent is Diaz’s official clothing line. And although he wore a Reebok jacket and hat, at the post-event news conference, he drank from a bottle with the brand’s logo on the side of it on the stage.

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 17, check out the UFC Events section of the site.