Why Was Nick Diaz Banned From UFC? Fine, Suspension, and All About MMA Legend’s Controversy

The originator the ‘Stockton Slap’ and  UFC legend, Nick Diaz is set to return to the Octagon at the UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi on August 3!  The MMA fandom was sent into a frenzy when UFC CEO Dana White recently announced that the Stockton native will be taking on Vicente Luque in a 5-round co-main event bout. Diaz last fought against Robbie Lawler in 2021 at UFC 266 after having been away from the sport since 2015 and was stopped in the third round, following which he has remained out of action.

The fight against Lawler was Diaz’s first Octagon appearance in 6-years as he was placed under suspension by the NSAC (Nevada State Athletic Commission) for failing a drug test after UFC 183 clash against Anderson Silva. As such, ahead of his return, fans have been curious to learn more about the circumstances surrounding his suspension and its aftermath, so let’s dive in and learn all we know about the controversy. 

The NSAC had suspended Nick Diaz for 5 years in 2015

Nate Diaz took on Anderson Silva at UFC 183 in 2015 and while he lost the fight via a unanimous decision, the bout was declared a ‘no contest’ after Silva tested positive for numerous banned substances at a pre-fight drug screening and Diaz failed his post-fight drug test for marijuana metabolites detected in his system.

Following this, on September 14, 2015, the NSAC handed Diaz a suspension for 5 years and even administered a fine of $165,000, which was 33% of the purse he had received for the fight against Silva. The move sent shockwaves through the MMA world for the lengthy duration of the suspension and Diaz made his displeasure known in an interview with Fox Sports.

Diaz stated, “I wanted to just get up and tell them all like ‘Look, you guys are way the f*** out of line. You guys have been trying to hold me down from day one. ‘That’s pretty much this whole sport has been trying to keep me from where I belong and that’s the number one position.”

The move by the NSAC also drew criticism from prominent voices in the MMA world, including Ariel Helwani, who posted the following statement on social media, “Nick Diaz suspended for 5 years for marijuana. Absurd how they got to that. This is a dark day for combat sports.”

The Stockton native then made an appeal in 2016 against the suspension, following which the suspension and fine were both reduced to 18 months and $100,000 respectively. However, Diaz didn’t compete in the UFC and was on a hiatus till 2021 when he returned to take on Robbie Lawler at UFC 266.

As Diaz prepares to face Vicente Luque, fans are eager to see how he performs after another lengthy break as it was recently revealed that he was interested in taking on some ‘big names’ for his UFC return!  

Diaz wanted to take on names like GSP, Colby Covington and more for his UFC return 

It was recently revealed by Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that Nick Diaz was campaigning to take on more ‘high-profile’ opponents for his return before settling on Vicente Luque. According to Helwani, “Nick has been pushing for a GSP fight, didn’t come to fruition. He was then pushing for a Colby Covington fight at UFC 300, didn’t come to fruition. He then, after ‘MVP’s debut and win at 299, pushed for that fight on the June 29th Conor McGregor card, UFC 303. Didn’t come to fruition…”

Helwani further revealed that Diaz then wanted to take on Kevin Holland at UFC 303, but the timeline didn’t align as ‘Trailblazer’ didn’t want to wait till August for his next fight. At the UFC 302 media day, Holland revealed, “I was supposed to fight at 170 against a big-name opponent, but they said he wouldn’t be ready until August, That’s too long to wait.”

In conclusion, Diaz’s return and his interest in ‘high-profile’ names is a testament to his enduring legacy and passion for the sport.  Do you think Nick Diaz will be able to secure a win against Vicente Luque? Or will this fight mark the end of the MMA legend’s storied career? Share your thoughts in the comments below!