Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight number one contender, Nick Diaz, fought the law -- and the law won. Specifically, Keith Kizer and the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), named as respondents in a lawsuit filed by Diaz in Clark County last April.
His grievance?
Diaz was suspended by the NSAC after testing positive for marijuana metabolites following his five round unanimous decision loss to Carlos Condit at UFC 143, which was held on Feb. 4, 2012 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
The NSAC also claimed Diaz lied on his pre-fight questionnaire (click here to see a copy), by checking "no" on a box asking if he took or received any prescription medication two weeks prior to weighing in.
The former Strikeforce middleweight champion holds a prescription for medical marijuana, which he obtained after being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which is legal in both Nevada and his home state of California.
Diaz's legal team, led by Ross Goodman, argued that his client's case should have been "abandoned or discontinued" by the commission after it failed to act within a reasonable time limit and exceeded its "statutory powers."
Goodman also argued that his client's drug use should be considered "out of competition" as it was stopped eight days before for the fight and that marijuana metabolites do not qualify as "drugs of abuse" -- nor are they listed as a prohibited substance.
The courts disagreed. You can see a copy of Diaz's rejection letter here.
I don't think this would be considered a setback at this point in his career. After all, Diaz was able to pick up right where he left off and some would even argue he's even better off than when he left, somehow finagling a 170-pound title shot against Georges St. Pierre at the UFC 158 pay-per-view (PPV) next month in Montreal.
All's well that ends well, I suppose.
Source: MMAMania.com
