The Return of Nick Diaz

The Return of Nick Diaz 

by Derick @derickthinks

In September 2015, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) suspended Nick Diaz for five years after allegedly testing positive for marijuana metabolites. The result came from a test after his bout with Anderson Silva in January 2015.  It was the 3rd time it's happened during Diaz's MMA career in the state of Nevada, each time for marijuana metabolites. He was also fined $165,000 dollars for the test failure. This was regarded as one of the harshest punishments by the state commission, just short of a lifetime ban.

Nick Diaz's opponent during that January bout, Anderson Silva (generally regarded as one of the pound-for-pound greatest fighters to have ever lived), also tested positive for several banned substances during his post-fight drug test, including the anabolic steroid, Drostanolone. This resulted in a one-year suspension and a $380,000 fine from the NSAC.

Immediately, the lack of parity from the commission was recognized. A five-year ban for marijuana was issued to Diaz, with which he has a legal medical prescription for in his home state of California. Then for Silva, a one-year ban for testing positive for an actual steroid as well as other multiple banned substances.

As a result of this injustice, a clear abuse of power from NSAC commissioner Patricia Lundvall, fan support of Diaz skyrocketed; even resulting in the creation of a White House petition which received over 115,000 signatures. This allowed for the subsequent review and response from the White House, who said in a statement:
       
          "The federal government plays no role in disciplinary actions taken by state athletic commissions, so we are not in a position to address the specific request raised in your petition..."

Numerous sportswriters and media members vehemently objected to the NSAC's decision regarding Nick Diaz.

Diaz also received support from fellow fighters:

         Fighters from numerous organizations took to social media to publicize their two cents on the matter, where the consensus believes that Diaz was treated unfairly.

         Former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, and one of the most recognizable mainstream figures in MMA, Ronda Rousey, stated during a press conference not long after Nick Diaz's sentence was made public that marijuana was not a performance enhancing drug, and that fighters shouldn't be tested for it at all.

         UFC Men's Flyweight contender, and former Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling, Henry Cejudo wrote in an open letter how "appalled" he was at the NSAC for how they handled the Diaz situation, even refusing to fight in the state of Nevada for a period of time.
***
In January 2016, Diaz settled with the NSAC where a new set of terms was agreed upon:
       
          - Nick Diaz's five-year ban would be reduced to 18 months, with the suspension effective starting in January 2015, the time of the failed test.
          - Also, a reduction in his fine from $165,000 to $100,000.
***
Effective August 1, 2016, Nick Diaz is allowed to return to fighting if he chooses. The MMA community has exploded, anticipating his next fight and potential opponent. Until a fight is announced and finalized, the MMA community will continue to play fantasy matchmaker.

Being guilty of catching the bug myself, there are several fights I think Nick Diaz can take in his return bout that make sense for his career, as well as can get the interest of fans, casual and hardcore alike.

1. Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler II:
          This is a fight 12 years in the making, and now would be the right time for it. They first met in 2004, where in highlight reel, shit-talking fashion, Nick Diaz caught Lawler with a right hook, face planting Lawler onto the canvas, and giving us a moment to watch in Nick Diaz highlight reels forever. Robbie Lawler is the former UFC Welterweight champion, whose title run came to an end at UFC 201 when he was knocked out by now champion, Tyron Woodley. Other than Woodley, Diaz is the only other fighter to finish Lawler with strikes. Diaz vs. Lawler II would be the perfect fight for old school fans as well as new fans that are familiar with their respective stories to watch and enjoy. Not to mention, it may be a fight that Lawler would want to revisit, potentially righting a wrong committed early in his career.

2. Nick Diaz vs. Tyron Woodley:
          Highly unlikely to happen, I only bring this fight up because both fighters have shown interest in this matchup. Woodley stated that he would like to fight Diaz next. This is a trend in today's MMA, where top fighters and champions are "cherry-picking" opponents for so-called "big-money fights." Diaz has expressed his typical interest along with general apathy to the idea, saying that he would take the Woodley fight, "if the money was right." The general consensus according to fans is that this is not a great matchup, and that Woodley needs to defend his title against the clear cut #1 welterweight contender, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson.

3. Nick Diaz vs. the loser (or winner) of Carlos Condit vs. Demian Maia:
          If Nick Diaz wants a fight that will get him right back into the mix in the welterweight division, he should take a fight with either Condit or Maia, This is depending on who wins, and how they look. A Nick Diaz fight with Demian Maia may provide challenges for the former, since the latter possesses some of the best and purest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills not only in the division but in all of MMA. This can lead to an exciting ground battle when taking into consideration Diaz's highly touted grappling skills.
          If not fight with Maia, Diaz can fight Carlos Condit for a 2nd time. The first fight between Diaz and Condit is to this day, one of the most disputed decisions by fans. Condit won the fight officially, but observers (and most likely Diaz fans) believed that Diaz won 3 out of the 5 rounds, criticizing the typically aggressive and ferocious Condit for fighting "safe" and doing little to no damage and a lot of retreating during the mostly stand-up affair. This is a fight that Diaz would likely want in order to redeem himself.