"I can pass a drug test in eight days with herbal cleansers. I drink 10 pounds of water and sweat out 10 pounds of water every day. I'll be fine."
–Nick Diaz, before his April 2009 fight against Frank Shamrock.
Arguably, one of Mixed Martial Arts’ most controversial players, Nick Diaz, operates on a level that most other top athletes would find difficult, if not impossible, to match. The Gracie Jiu Jitsu black belt from Stockton, Calif. has known repeated success in MMA, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, boxing, and even triathlons. Nevertheless, it seems his greatest obstacle is usually himself with most of his losses following childish outbursts and threats to his opponents before the fight itself. He was even nearly arrested after assaulting Joe Riggs in the hospital where they were both being treated after Riggs took the unanimous decision win over Diaz at UFC 57.
Most recently in his history of self-inflicted drama, the southpaw was slated to meet Jay Hieron on Saturday night at the HP Pavilion for "Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg." Instead, Hieron will be facing Jesse “J.T. Money” Taylor, as Diaz failed to show twice for the drug test that would license him for the bout. Having popped positive on previous tests, there is little room to wonder why the middleweight would have made such a choice.
“I'm more consistent about everything being a cannabis user," Diaz said in an interview with the L.A. Times in April, "I'm happy to get loaded, hear some good music . . . I remain consistent. And I have an easy way to deal with [the drug tests].” He passed his drug test for his match up with Frank Shamrock, which took place shortly after that statement, ultimately winning by TKO.
It would appear, however, confidence in his “easy way” of dealing with drug tests was not as high as he was in his fateful bout against Takanori Gomi in 2007. At that time, the former WEC and IFC champion had his impressive victory by gogoplata overturned to No Contest after failing his drug test with a staggering 175 for marijuana. To put that number in perspective, a positive is 25 and the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) actually allows up to 50 for athletes. The commission determined he was so high he was essentially anesthetized to any pain that may have been afflicted by Gomi. For those familiar with the affects of THC, it was more surprising that Gomi gassed first and Diaz wasn’t sitting on a sofa somewhere eating potato chips. He may be consistent, but at what?
With all that said, and with his legendary coach, Cesar Gracie, now embarrassed, where does that leave Diaz? If the Tokay High School drop-out can’t stay sober in the face of a big, fat paycheck, what promotion will be willing to take a chance on him in the future? Strikeforce has got to be upset. After all, their ticket-selling first ever middleweight title fight is now an uninteresting match up between the original challenger Hieron and Taylor, whose most significant TKO was against a limousine window following his stint on The Ultimate Fighter.
What will Strikeforce do with the unrepentant cannabis-user? Will Scott Coker and company be willing to risk promoting another card dependent on Diaz’s draw? It’s not surprising that they chose Gina Carano vs. Cyborg as their main event. It was just too dodgy a risk promoting a "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Hieron" event when a drug-test disaster is always a looming possibility.
While avoiding an iffy drug test spared Diaz from being sidelined for a year, it still leaves him with the reputation for being unreliable. He’s built a name for himself with a dynamic fighting style that makes him a favorite to watch, even if he loses. But will his name and record be enough to keep him in the big shows? It will be interesting to see what happens next.
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I was always under the impression that for someone to be given the
opportunity to write an article such as this, they would at least research
the topics they're discussing. Of course, after reading this, I'd be wrong
wouldn't I?
For starters, you're lumping all of marijuana into one category when it's
just not accurate. There are two primary strains of cannabis; Indica and
Sativa. While indica generally tends to create the lethargic, couch potato
high, sativa creates an energetic and productive high. More importantly, at
it's very core, marijuana is a stimulant. If anything, if he were
completely baked, he'd probably feel it more than he would sober.
Also, cannabis naturally stays in the system, without any attempts to flush
it out, for at least two weeks. That 175 could have very well been from
weeks prior to the fight, there is nothing that directly confirms that he
was using cannabis on fight night.
The fact of the matter is that no law or governing body to uphold that law
should ever be supported blindly without any criticism or thought. You're
not only painting this as black and white, but you're doing so when you
clearly don't know what you're talking about. I propose this question; If
the reason he's being suspended is for the safety of all participants
involved, then why are there no provisions in place for the same amount of
alcohol? Marijuana simply alters the mind while alcohol is an inevitably
fatal substance.
Again I say, no law or governing body designed to uphold that law should
ever be blindly followed with no criticism or thought. Show me any
evidence, show me one good reason why the the current regulations apply to
marijuana. You can't because our nation's whole view on marijuana is based
on subsequent speculation over carefully crafted government propaganda.
So please, in the event that you do choose to write another article, please
in the very least show some integrity and research the topic you are
discussing. Don't blindly make judgments or follow others' conclusions.
Examine the facts and find your own point of view, because in the very
least it will, at that point, be informed.
matt6buckeye
13 Aug 2009, 21:03
First off, very well written stuff by both of you. Love to see it. Alex,
I'm totally with you on your opinions (I'm actually a strong proponent of
all drugs being legalized, but that's a discussion for another day and
certainly another place), but the point here is that Diaz would've been in
violation of the rules had he taken the test, and that's on him no matter
how you look at it. Supposedly he had an under the table deal with Armando
Garcia that he wouldn't have to test until the day of his fights so he
could get his system cleaned out. I realize he has a Cannabis Club card
which makes his pot smoking legal in the state of California, but that has
nothing to do with the rules and regulations of the CSAC. Garcia resigned
in November of last year, presumably making the deal null and void.
Apparently nobody notified Nick. Its still on him to make sure he's within
the rules of the governing body where he intends to fight. I'm the biggest
Diaz fan in the world, but until smokers everywhere are liberated, he'll
have to learn to play by the rules. And even then there's no guarantee
athletic commissions will take marijuana off of there banned substances
lists.
