Could it be? Nick Diaz might now potential return to the Octagon as soon as this summer?
On Tuesday, the Nevada State Athletic Commission reportedly reduced their penalty against UFC Welterweight Nick Diaz after a settlement was apparently reached. Diaz is now suspended only 18 months retroactively from the night of his bout with Anderson Silva last year on January 31st as well as reducing his fine to $100,000. Meaning that Nick Diaz could return to MMA competition as soon as August 1st. MMAFighting.com was first to break the story citing reliable sources.
The NAC had initially suspended Diaz for 5 years after Diaz had failed a third drug test for marijuana and also fined him $165,000. This initial punishment caused quite the uproar in the MMA community as many fans, media celebrities, and even politicians felt that the punishment was overly harsh and a possibly a breach of power on the part of the NSAC. Even an online White House petition that reached the required 100,000 signatures to get the decision overturned was filed.
In the first hearing, Diaz’ legal team had seemingly argued successfully that Diaz had actually passed two fight night tests that were accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency and that the sole test that came back negative was not. More on this story as it unfolds.