On Monday, a day that will forever be remembered by mixed martial arts fans, the Nevada State Athletic Commission unanimously voted to hand Nick Diaz a five-year suspension for testing positive for a marijuana metabolites during a UFC 183 drug test.

For Diaz (26-10), this marked the third time he has failed his post fight drug test, all of which he tested positive for marijuana metabolites. Diaz had previously tested positive following his 2007 win over Takanori Gomi and again following his 2012 loss to Carlos Condit.

Commissioners Pat Lundvall and Francisco Aguilar initilaly initially sought a lifetime ban due to Diaz’s two previous positive tesst, his decision not to show up for a previous pre-fight test and his role in the infamous 2010 brawl in Nashville during a Strikeforce event. However, their fellow commissioners Anthony Marnell and Raymond “Skip” Avansino felt the lifetime ban for marijunan was excessing, leading to them dropping their sentence to five years.

Diaz was also fined $165,000, 30-perfect of his $500,000 purse.

The Stockton native had lost a unanimous decision to Anderson Silva at UFC 183. However, it was eventually overturned to a No Contest after Silva tested positive for banned substances drostanolone and androsterone.

UPDATE

Per ESPN, Diaz’s attorney Lucas Middlebrook informed members of media in attendance that his client plans to appeal the commission’s decision.

UPDATE

ESPN has released the following video of Diaz’s immediate reaction to the NSAC ruling. Warning: NSFW Language.

The MMA Corner will continue to monitor the situation as it unfolds.

About The Author

News Manager

José began his career as a mixed martial arts journalist while still enrolled at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University. Since graduating in May 2013, he has attended dozens of high profile UFC fight cards as a credentialed member of the media, providing live cage side coverage through his articles and videos. His work has appeared on UFC.com, ArizonaSports.com and AZCentral. He is also currently one of the main contributors on Power MMA Show at Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, one of the first all MMA radio shows on a major radio station.