Nick Diaz reaches deal for reduced jail time on DUI cases

Nick Diaz will serve one day in jail for the pair of DUI-related offenses he picked up in Nov. 2013 and Sept. 2014, MMAFighting.com confirmed Monday following an initial report by TMZ Sports.
Diaz struck a plea deal with California pros…

Nick Diaz will serve one day in jail for the pair of DUI-related offenses he picked up in Nov. 2013 and Sept. 2014, MMAFighting.com confirmed Monday following an initial report by TMZ Sports.

Diaz struck a plea deal with California prosecutors that will see the popular UFC welterweight plead no contest to one count of DUI with an alcohol or drug level above .08, in exchange for the state dropping three additional charges from the incidents, including the second potential DUI.

Diaz was sentenced to two days in jail as a result of the deal, with one day credited to time already served.

Diaz, 31, was first arrested on Nov. 20, 2013 in California for driving under the influence. Diaz missed several court dates following the initial arrest, until ultimately surrendering in court in Aug. 2014 after a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. Diaz was subsequently released on $25,000 bail, and a date for his arraignment was then scheduled for the following month.

Before that arraignment could happen, though, Diaz was arrested a second time in Lodi, Calif. for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, among other charges, in the early morning hours of Sept. 6, 2014. Once under police custody, Diaz attempted to induce himself to vomit several times against the commands of officers as a means to circumvent a breath sobriety test. Diaz was ultimately released from Lodi City Jail later that day.

Diaz is scheduled to report to San Joaquin court for a hearing on his plea deal on July 23 at 8:00 a.m., after which he will serve his one day in jail.

A former Strikeforce champion, Diaz (26-10, 1 NC) last fought in January at UFC 183, where he lost a unanimous decision to ex-UFC middleweight titleholder Anderson Silva. Both Diaz and Silva failed drug tests in relation to the bout, with Diaz testing positive for marijuana metabolites and Silva testing positive for anabolic steroids.

The marijuana violation was Diaz’s third in the state of Nevada, as the welterweight previously failed tests in 2007 and 2012. The latter incident drew Diaz a one-year suspension from the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC).

Diaz is currently awaiting a hearing before the NAC to determine a potential punishment for his UFC 183 testing results. That hearing is expected take place in either August or September.