Nick Diaz makes the list due to a drug test failure not for performance enhancing drugs of any nature, but for smoking weed. So I want to be clear: I am fully in support of removing Marijuana from the list of banned drugs for MMA fighters entirely. It doesn't help build muscle, stamina, it doesn't give him any benefit in training, and unless he's smoking up prior to a fight, it has zero impact on his performance in the cage. In other words, testing for weed is downright stupid. That said, it was, and still is, a banned substance, although the metabolite level that would designate a positive test was tripled in 2013, meaning if you smoked a month before your fight, you'd probably be okay... just don't hit the bong the week before. Diaz basically makes the list for ignoring the fact that marijuana is banned (and again, I don't agree with the ban... but if you're a pro, follow the rules!) and getting himself suspended after his loss to Carlos Condit in 2012 - which was his second positive test for weed! Diaz lost the Condit fight anyway, but the drug test result saw him banned for a year (retroactive to the date of the fight) and fined 30% of his fight purse.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
