Don’t worry folks… the fight is going ahead…
Nate Diaz issued an ultimatum yesterday to USADA and the UFC. He told the anti-doping agency to clear his name or he won’t fight for the BMF title. After his latest drug test came back positive with trace amounts of SARMs. However, Daz was not provisionally suspended and the fight was still set to go ahead.
Despite this, Diaz didn’t want to go into the high-profile event with a cloud of uncertainty hanging over him. Of course, he was worried because there would automatically be question marks about his credibility as an athlete. It’s been incredible to see responses on Twitter from his fellow athletes. Almost all of them are emphatic that he fights clean.
Now the UFC has released a statement saying that Diaz is in the clear. The fight will still headline UFC 244. Suddenly, the BMF title has a lot more meaning to it.
The UFC has just issued a lengthy statement about the Nate Diaz situation. In short, they have cleared him of any wrongdoing and he is good to compete next weekend. pic.twitter.com/cphdvKrRLC
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 26, 2019
Going Ahead
The UFC released a lengthy statement explaining the situation. They explained that Diaz’s test anomaly came from a contaminated plant-based multi-vitamin. This makes it different from your regular tainted supplement situation. We’re not sure how legitimate this is, but at the end of the day, who cares? They confirmed:
“The main event at UFC 244 on Saturday November 2, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz will proceed as scheduled.”
In short, UFC 244 is one of the most anticipated cards of the year. Without Diaz in the main event, you have no BMF title. Thankfully, we can put all of this behind us now. Read the full statement above.
Tainted
USADA confirmed that two bottles of the vegan nutrient supplement that Diaz was using were contaminated. They have suspended fighters in similar situations before. However, in the case of Neil Magny, they rescinded the suspension. USADA wrote:
“Following Mr Diaz’s public comments on Thursday, we can confirm that he has not been sanctioned or provisionally suspended by USADA. As the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Program, USADA always provides every athlete the presumption of innocence. If the athlete publicly speaks of a potential violation first, then USADA may choose to comment.”
The fight is ON!!! I 100% knew Nate wasn't taking anything to cheat. #UFC244 November 2, MSG. #BMF pic.twitter.com/U9VEOPT0Ul
— danawhite (@danawhite) October 26, 2019
Free to Fight
One man who is breathing a sigh of relief is Dana White. He’s as happy as everybody. The UFC has put a lot of money behind these two men. It would be so typical of MMA for it to backfire. However, he can chill out now because this one is going ahead. White tweeted:
“The fight is ON!!! I 100% knew Nate wasn’t taking anything to cheat. #UFC244 November 2, MSG. #BMF.”
To sum up, the UFC has got their way. Furthermore, it was a smart move by Diaz to go public. This forced USADA and the UFC into action. They had to respond decisively and in the end, they did. Also, it gave the Stockton fighter the chance to become the victim in the situation.
