Nate Diaz is the latest fighter on the UFC roster to fall victim to the newly instituted code of conduct policy after releasing a message via Twitter on Thursday that contained a homophobic slur.
Diaz, who most recently lost to Josh Thomson by TKO at UFC on Fox 7 in April, took to social media to express his distaste of Bryan Caraway’s recent post-fight bonus Submission of the Night at UFC 159 only after Pat Healy tested positive for marijuana and had the money taken away from him.
Healy was suspended 90 days for the infraction, his win was changed to a no-contest, and due to the UFC’s policy on drug testing, because his came back with a positive result, he was no longer eligible for the bonuses that would have yielded the former Strikeforce fighter $130,000 (he also won the bonus for Fight of the Night along with opponent Jim Miller).
Diaz unleashed a tweet aimed at Caraway, who reveled in his Submission of the Night bonus just hours after Healy lost the money because of the drug test result.
It didn’t take long for UFC officials to act, and for the time being, Diaz has been indefinitely suspended by the organization while they look into the situation.
“We are very disappointed by Nate Diaz’s comments, which are in no way reflective of our organization,” UFC officials said in a statement emailed to Bleacher Report on Thursday. “Nate is currently suspended pending internal investigation and we will provide further comment once the matter has been decided.”
Following the UFC’s statement on the matter, Bleacher Report spoke to Diaz‘s manager Mike Kogan, who stood by his fighter and explained that the word used wasn’t directed at or toward homosexuals or in a homophobic way.
“That one word did not mean homosexual, it was not intended to be homosexual,” Kogan stated. “It was not meant to have a homophobic connotation at all. The word for years and years and years also means b—ch, little punk, little whiny, little f—kers. That’s what he meant with what he said.”
Kogan didn’t disagree at all with what his client said in terms of the context of his message either when aiming at Caraway’s recent bonus from the UFC, which came at Healy‘s expense after the positive drug test.
“What Bryan Caraway did was a b—ch move. It was a b—ch move,” Kogan said. “First you chase Dana all over the f—king internet, begging him for a f—king bonus, which I think is a b—ch move because I’m sure he’s got Dana’s phone number, and if not, he could probably get ahold of it. Then after that you get the damn check and you go out there and you gloat and you want to kiss ass so you go, ‘Oh I hate weed, I think weed sucks and Pat Healy‘s a retard for doing it.’ Listen, if Pat Healy didn’t do what he did, you wouldn’t have the f—king check first of all. Second of all, I think the kid’s suffering enough right now he doesn’t need your gloating, you little f—k. It’s a b—ch move, that’s all that Nate said.”
As far as dissecting Diaz‘s comment any further, Kogan says it’s not necessary. The message he was sending to Caraway was clear, and if he had issue with it, Diaz isn’t hard to find.
“He called him a b—ch, if Bryan Caraway has a problem with it he can give him a call and he’ll tell him to his face,” Kogan said in closing.
UFC president Dana White was obviously none too happy and managed to toss an expletive of his own when talking about Diaz‘s comment on the Underground Forum on Thursday night.
“He will be cut or fined for that tweet,” White wrote. “F–kin’ ridiculous.”
The final judgment on Diaz‘s punishment by the UFC remains undecided at this time.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report
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