Might wanna pump the brakes on that Anderson Silva rematch.
Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) summoned Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight Nick Diaz to its disciplinary hearing earlier today (Sept. 14, 2015) in Las Vegas to answer for his UFC 183 drug test, which came back hot for marijuana back in January.
And much to the chagrin of some big-shot attorneys from New York, Nevada Deputy Attorney General Christopher Eccles was present and accounted for.
After a protracted hearing that featured plenty of boring legalese from both sides, Diaz, 32, was fined $165,000 (33-percent of his $500,000 purse) and suspended for five years for what amounts to his third positive drug test in Nevada. The first came after a submission win over Takanori Gomi in 2007, followed by another in defeat to Carlos Condit in 2012.
2015 has not been kind to the former Strikeforce champ.
But it could've been much worse, as commissioner Pat Lundvall filed a motion for a lifetime ban, which -- thankfully for Diaz -- didn't get everyone's vote. Then again, a five-year suspension in MMA seems like a lifetime and may contradict the governing body's own policy.
Diaz (26-9, 2 NC) rocketed up the 170-pound ladder from 2008-11, winning 11 straight fights with nine violent finishes. That said, the longtime fan favorite hasn't won a fight in nearly four years and sat out for all of 2014. Following today's verdict from NSAC, the future isn't looking very bright for one of the sport's most colorful personalities.
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