Nick Diaz's Suspension Lifted by Nevada State Athletic Commission
Nick Diaz and the Nevada State Athletic Commission have resolved their feud, as the Stockton slap specialist is once again eligible to compete inside the Octagon.
After a lengthy battle, Nick Diaz agreed to pay the NSAC the rest of the $100,000 fine he was given after failing a drug test for marijuana metabolites out of UFC 183. Diaz had been out of action since then.
Pat Lundvall, former Chair of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, at one point also recommended a lifetime suspension for Diaz. Instead, an 18-month suspension was agreed upon and the former Strikeforce Welterweight Champ was forced to sit out until August 1, 2016.
Lundvall was arguably let go from her position with NSAC because of Nick Diaz’s wit, but we’ll get to that in a second.
Diaz’s drawing power is arguably at its all-time highest, after the recent publicity given to the Diaz brothers after Nate’s heavily publicized rivalry with Conor McGregor.
Nick Diaz was, in fact, the mastermind behind UFC 202’s huge PPV buy rate – which at the time broke company records. As Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio, moments before Nate was set to make a media appearance for a UFC 202 pre-fight press conference, Nick urged Nate to throw the water bottle at McGregor – sparking a media frenzy.
The incident led to McGregor being fined $150,000, and his announcement that he would never again fight in the state of Nevada. Officials decided that this was the last straw for Lundvall; Lundvall’s personal vendettas were not worth costing the state a substantial amount of money.
Diaz sparked the flame that led to Lundvall’s exit from power.
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The Stockton Slugger could have competed since August, but his refusal to pay the remaining $75,000 of his fine led to his extended absence from the cage. Diaz agreed to pay the amount last week, before his commission-appointed December 1 deadline. Nick was ineligible to corner Nate until he settled with the commission.
Diaz hasn’t won a fight since 2011, but his losses have come to a former title contender in Carlos Condit, and former champions in Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva.
Since Diaz has kept his name in the headlines, he will have no problem marketing a fight. As long as Diaz can sell a PPV, he will be welcomed back into the UFC and WME-IMG with open arms.
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