Is Nick Diaz done with fighting for good this time?
Nick Diaz always has had a love/hate relationship with the sport of MMA, but after losing his third straight decision and testing positive for marijuana for the third time in his career, is the UFC bad boy finally riding off into the sunset?
Diaz has walked away from fighting before. Following his loss to Georges St-Pierre in 2013, Diaz stated he was retiring from the sport unless he received an offer that made sense for him to return.
That call finally came in 2014 when the UFC offered him the bout against Anderson Silva at UFC 183, but Diaz once again sounded unsure about his future in the sport when another decision was rendered against him.
"I'm kind of tired of being a loser," Diaz said at Saturday's post-fight press conference. "I'm still here but I'm losing all these fights. I'm doing well as far as this being a job versus these other guys that are out there. I don't know what to make of it right now."
This week, after the revelation that Diaz failed a post-fight drug test and had double the legal limit for marijuana in his system, the former welterweight title contender put up a cryptic post on Instagram that once again could signal the end of his career.
Diaz posted a picture of the training partners he worked with for his fight camp and attached the hash tag "#dunfighting." Diaz has retired from fighting before and still found his way back. But with him possibly facing another suspension from the UFC, and considering he was suspended for a year when he tested positive for marijuana in 2012, could this really be the end for the 31-year-old?
Diaz always has stated that fighting is more work than pleasure for him, and he'll certainly earn a healthy payday for his fight against Silva, so he might not need to fight again any time soon. The Nevada State Athletic Commission disclosed that Diaz made a base salary of $500,000 for the fight, and Diaz likely will score a hefty backend from the pay-per-view numbers, which could land him at closer to a multi-million-dollar payday once it's all said and done.
And then there's the drug test result that Diaz will have to deal with. Diaz likely will be handed a temporary suspension this month and then face a full disciplinary hearing in March or April.
At that point, Diaz likely will face at least a one-year suspension from the sport following his third positive test for marijuana. Diaz tested positive previously in 2007, which earned him a six-month suspension, followed by another positive test in 2012 that yielded him a year off from fighting.
Maybe Diaz finally has had enough, and with the likelihood of another suspension coming as well as the money he'll earn from the fight with Silva — minus any penalties he might receive from the commission — we really might've seen the last of him in the Octagon.
But when it comes to Diaz, the only thing to do is wait and see.
