Few fighters enjoy the kind of popularity and genuine love from fans like Nick Diaz. The former UFC title contender, after all, comes from a bygone era of MMA and had a unique, authentic, almost vulnerable personality that the fans find adorable. Even though he has fought just once in the past nine years, the Stockton native is still a big name in the sport.

So much so that the UFC had no issues offering him a place against welterweight dynamo Vicente Luque on its final PPV card for 2024. But alas, Diaz pulled out. But why? Well, Diaz’s rumored girlfriend, Kay’s recent Instagram Story, where she cryptically said that “@nickdiaz209 Drug addiction doesn’t last forever. You either find sobriety, or it takes your life” suggests that the former Strikeforce champ is grappling with substance abu** issues.

Diaz, of course, was suspended for five years by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) in 2015 for marijuana use. But it seems Diaz’s problems are much more serious than that, and revolve around alcohol and hard dr**s as his coach’s comments a few days ago indicate. “I think Ronda Rousey got him drinking cause she would come up before she was famous and hang out…it wasn’t her fault but [Diaz]…could not drink, he can’t do things like that and that set him on a different path,” Diaz’s coach, Cesar Gracie said recently, shifting the blame firmly on Ronda Rousey’s shoulders.

Of course, everybody in the UFC world, especially the fans are rooting for Diaz and hoping he gets the help he needs. However, his coach’s comments did spark a debate among the fans, with some agreeing with him wholeheartedly while others were skeptical.

Fans react to Nick Diaz’s coach blaming Ronda Rousey for his recent issues

The Diaz brothers were once known for their clean lifestyle (except for the marijuana usage), with Nick’s younger brother Nate Diaz still living a remarkably disciplined life. But Nick seems to have slipped in recent times. This is why one fan agreed with Diaz’s coach, and reminded fellow fans of the time Rousey spoke about getting Nick to drink despite the latter’s initial reluctance: “That is true, I remember her bragging about how she got him to drink and enjoy alcohol again after years of living a very clean lifestyle.”

Of course, Rousey, unlike Nick, is one of the most unpopular figures in the entire combat sports world. The UFC’s first women’s champion used to put on a deliberately arrogant and disrespectful persona in her fighting days, which didn’t go down with fans when she started losing. This is why one fan cleverly not only blamed Rousey for allegedly ‘ruining’ Nick’s career but also took a shot at Rousey’s remarkable MMA downfall: “She destroyed him and her own career at the same time that’s crazy”

The most significant moment of Nick Diaz’s career, of course, was his five-year suspension, which derailed his career. For context, the former Strikeforce champion had fought Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre in his last two fights before the ban and was one of the biggest draws in the entire sport. But today, years after his ban ended, the Stockton native has fought just once. Unsurprisingly some fans feel that not Rousey, but this ban led to Diaz’s downward spiral: “lost his purpose when NSAC banned him for a positive weed test. nick gets in his own way more than anyone else could have.”

One of the main reasons Nick is so universally loved in the MMA community is because of his maverick personality and the courage to do what he wants without worrying about what others might say or even the consequences of his actions. This is why one fan found it difficult to believe that Rousey was solely responsible for his downfall: “Nick was Nick before, during, and after Ronda.”

Giving Rousey stiff competition for being unpopular among UFC fans is her ex-boyfriend, Brendan Schaub. One fan couldn’t help but take this opportunity to mock the podcaster and former UFC heavyweight over his utter unlikable-ness: “She ruined Brendan Schaub too…Wait, nah. He was always a douchebag 😅”

Another fan, however, felt that the coach was doing a disservice to Diaz by blaming other people for his alleged addiction. After all, one of the first steps to getting clean is to take responsibility for one’s addiction, and the fan felt that shifting the burden to Rousey wouldn’t help Nick: “You can’t blame your addiction on other people..That’s a cop-out.” What do you think about Nick Diaz’s coach blaming Ronda Rousey for his alleged substance abuse issues?