The Nevada State Athletic Committee voted today to reduce the suspension and fine handed to Nick Diaz earlier this year.
Diaz will now face a much reduced 18-month suspension, retroactive to Jan 31st, 2015 and receive a $100,000 fine making the Stockton native and fan favorite eligible to fight as early as August.
Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites subsequent to his 2015 fight with Anderson Silva at UFC 183, a fight in which Silva also tested positive for anabolic steroids and received a one year suspension.
Nick Diaz Scores Unanimous Decision In NSAC Hearing
However, the failed test would mark the third for Diaz, with the commission handing down an unprecedented suspension of five years and a fine of $165,000, despite allegations from his lawyer that Diaz had passed two accredited tests conducted by the World Anti-Doping Agency, while the third test, the one that Diaz tested positive on, and ultimately the one the NSAC chose to use, was not conducted by an accredited lab.
The punishment was met with outrage across the MMA community. Following the initial hearing, Diaz received an outpouring of support with some UFC fighters refusing to fight in Las Vegas, and fans starting a FreeNickDiaz campaign, which included a petition that would elicit an official response form the White House upon garnering 100,000 signatures.
Though Diaz and his legal representatives were not present for the hearing, the committee unanimously voted to overturn the initial decision after a settlement was allegedly struck between Diaz and the NSAC late last year.
Main Photo
