Nick Diaz Gets Drastically Reduced Suspension in NAC Settlement

Nick Diaz‘s case was back before the Nevada Athletic Commission on Tuesday due to a possible settlement agreement with the commission in regard to the fighter’s five-year suspension and $165,000 fine for testing positive for marijuana.

The commission quickly approved the settlement unanimously, approving a drastic reduction in his suspension, although they didn’t mention Diaz’s name or terms of the settlement during the hearing. MMAWeekly.com requested and received the terms following the hearing.

Diaz’s five-year suspension has been reduced to 18 months.  His $165,000 fine was shaved back to $100,000.

The penalties stemmed from a confusing night of testing surrounding his UFC 183 bout with Anderson Silva in January of 2015.

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There were many confounding issues in Diaz’s case. The most significant was that he was tested three times within a matter of hours. The two WADA-accredited tests showed Diaz below the legal limit for marijuana metabolites, while the middle test, by a non-WADA-certified lab, put Diaz at nearly five times the legal limit of 150 ng/mL.

The NAC chose to acknowledge the one above the limit result and the fact that Diaz has tested positive for marijuana in the past, and initially pursued a lifetime ban before settling on a five-year suspension.

At the time of the suspension, Diaz’s legal counsel vowed to take further legal action, but it instead of a judicial review, they negotiated a settlement agreement, which the commission accepted unanimously.

With the settlement reached, Diaz could be back in action as early as August.  His suspension ends on July 31.

Diaz’ five-year suspension has been reduced to 18 months.  His $165,000 fine was shaved back to $100,000.  The agreement was quickly passed unanimously by the commission without even mentioning Diaz’s name.