After multiple delays, Nick Diaz finally has a targeted date for his disciplinary hearing with the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC).
Diaz was initially put on the agenda for the NAC meeting Thursday, but his lawyer, Lucas Middlebrook, filed for a continuance due to a schedule conflict, as reported by UFC Tonight’s Ariel Helwani last week. NAC chairman Francisco Aguilar granted the request this week and Middlebrook told MMAFighting.com that Diaz will now likely have his hearing in September.
The NAC does not set a date for its next meeting until the current one is completed, but Middlebrook expects it to be the week of Sept. 14.
Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites after his UFC 183 loss to Anderson Silva on Jan. 31 in Las Vegas. It was his third marijuana offense. Diaz was suspended and fined both in 2012 and 2007 in Nevada.
The popular welterweight fighter is facing similar penalties, but will fight the charges. Diaz was tested three times on fight night and two of those results came back negative for marijuana, according to Middlebrook. Only one was positive.
Two of the specimens were sent to an SMRTL lab. The other was shipped to Quest Diagnostics. Middlebrook said each lab used different ways to judge Diaz’s hydration levels, which would have an affect on testing positive or negative.
The one positive screen showed 300ng/ml of marijuana in Diaz’s system, which is double the state limit.
Middlebrook was in talks regarding a settlement with Nevada deputy attorney general Christopher Eccles, but even if both sides came to a consensus the commission would still likely want to hear Diaz’s case.
Diaz, 31, lost the fight to Silva by unanimous decision. Later, it was found out that Silva had failed an out-of-competition test for steroid metabolites three weeks before the bout. He also failed a drug test for steroids in a fight-night test. Silva’s disciplinary hearing will be Thursday and the result of the fight could be overturned into a no-contest.