Nate Diaz escapes sanction for post-UFC 202 interviews but USADA threat remains.
The Stockton native may have claimed, before UFC 196 and 202, that ‘everyone’s on steroids’ but the Nevada State Athletic Commission and its testing system shows otherwise.
According to Canadian lawyer Erik Magraken, NSAC have confirmed that both Diaz and Conor McGregor tested clean for August’s UFC 202 event.
Diaz and McGregor NSAC drug tests come back clean for UFC 202
— Erik Magraken (@erikmagraken) September 6, 2016
Furthermore, MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani has been informed that the NSAC will not pursue Diaz for lighting up a vape pen of CBD oil during the media scrum not long after losing to McGregor.
Diaz told reporters the oil ‘helps with the healing process and inflammation’ and remarked that his piss is loaded with cannabis, not steroids. Cannabinoids are banned in-competition substances by the World Anti-Doping Agency. USADA – the UFC’s partner in drug-testing of athletes – uses WADA’s prohibited list.
NAC tells me they will not impose a penalty on Nate Diaz for “vape-gate”, since it happened post-drug test. USADA still looking into it.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 8, 2016
As per USADA, ‘in-competition’ means six hours before and after a fight so Diaz lighting up in front of the media could still get him sanctioned.
Diaz should know by the end of this month whether his wrist will be slapped for his actions or if he faces a ban.
His older brother, Nick Diaz, was banned for five years, by USADA, after testing positive for marijuana but that was reduced to 18 months. He is now free to resume his UFC career but has yet to be booked for a fight.
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