“If I’m going to train all day, when I get done, I’m gonna want to smoke,” Nick Diaz talks about his use of marijuana in an in-depth interview with High Times.
Last year at UFC 183 marked the third time Nick Diaz had tested positive for marijuana metabolites. This time, however, there was so much controversy surrounding the issue that even a petition was filed to the White House to reduce his suspension.
Diaz had passed two WADA-accredited drug tests but failed one carried out by Quest Diagnostics. The former Strikeforce welterweight champion presented a sound defense to the Nevada Athletic Commission but was suspended for five years and received a $165,000 fine. His opponent Anderson Silva, who defeated Diaz via unanimous decision, tested positive for steroids but only received a one-year ban.
The news caused outrage in the MMA community and Diaz’ legal team campaigned hard against the punishment. The NAC were forced to reduce his sentence 18 months and deducted $65,000 from his fine. Silva’s win over Diaz was also overturned to a No Contest.
When speaking to Dan Skye of High Times in a recent interview, the Stockton product says the suspension hasn’t quelled his appetite for marijuana.
“If I’m at home and I’m training – €”doing my same things every day – €”then I’m definitely going to want to use cannabis,” Diaz said. “It’s gonna help. I’m trying to stay focused on what I’m doing. I don’t want a whole lot of things going on—people to call back, or text messages or whatever. I chill out, relax a little bit, and then I don’t have those issues. If I’m going to train all day, when I get done, I’m gonna want to smoke. If I have to go and train all day, before I go, I’m gonna want to smoke. If I wake up in the morning and feel beat to shit, and it’s going to take me forever to wake up, I smoke some weed and I wake right up. Then I have breakfast and I go do a workout.”
With his sentence now reduced to 18 months, Diaz could return to the Octagon as early as July, 2016. The 32-year-old teased at doing “something big” for his comeback.
Check out the full interview with High Times to read Nick’s thoughts on his childhood, training and his pessimistic outlook on the future.