At Thursday’s UFC 158 press conference, Nick Diaz intimated on more than one occasion that his Saturday night opponent, Georges St-Pierre, is using performance-enhancing drugs.
St-Pierre brushed aside the accusations. But just in case anyone thought Diaz was kidding around, the former Strikeforce welterweight champion reiterated his claims on a radio interview Thursday afternoon.
Speaking on Toronto’s Fan 590, Diaz stated that not only is the UFC welterweight champ using steroids, but he doubts that anyone is actually going to test the fighters after the fight.
“I believe that he’s on plenty of steroids and I don’t believe they’ve tested him as well,” Diaz said. “I don’t care what they’re saying or marketing to the media. I don’t think either of us are going to be tested. And if so, he’s probably got a bottle of piss in his pocket. I doubt they’re standing over him, making sure he’s not on steroids.”
Asked by the hosts, Tim Micallef and Sid Seixeiro, if he really meant what he just said, Diaz followed “Sure, why not? Lance Armstrong is on steroids, and it was really a ridiculous thing that he was on steroids, as far as he was concerned.”
While never testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, Diaz has twice been suspended by the state of Nevada for having marijuana metabolites show up in sufficient amounts in urine tests. Even with Dana White saying Thursday that he’d probably have to cut Diaz if Diaz again came up positive, the challenger wouldn’t guarantee he can pass the test this time.
“Hell no, I’m not guaranteeing anything,” Diaz said. “Last time I was — nanograms — I tested positive. Dude, a nanogram. I’m like two over, a nanogram over. So, yeah, I can tell you I did a little better than last time, so if I don’t pass the test, I’m sorry. But, you know, I could probably use another year off vacation, you know, it’s not like I enjoy this, taking punches to the mouth. I need to feed my family, and hopefully one day I can acquire, if I survive this s***.”
The steroid speculation was one of just a variety of topics discussed in the interview. Another tangent ensued after the hosts asked Diaz whether the UFC wants him to lose Saturday night. In his own unique way, Stockton’s favorite son managed to tie the question in with both the advertising done by food conglomerations and the UFC’s marketing of Rich Franklin.
“I would imagine that they do,” Diaz said about whether the company wants him to lose. He paused and laughed, then added, “I think the UFC wants me to lose the fight, especially the way they’ve been marketing this. And you know, it’s not [the fans’] fault. It’s not their fault, they are educated, but they’re educated on what’s been marketed to them. Just like any company does. Just like any foods they market, they advertise, and there’s a certain amount of money that goes out, to make sure this money does its job, and you better believe it’s going to work. That’s why there’s fat people, because they ate it right up, and it was bulls***, and it was poison, and they need to start learning marketing and advertisements.”
“That’s what I learn from this sport, that’s what this sport’s taught me.” Diaz continued. “Look at what happened to Rich Franklin. He goes in there and he’s a schoolteacher. He goes in there with Anderson Silva and he’s way behind there, but they marketed him as the best fighter. They marketed that and people believed it, they ate right up, they bet on him.”
Diaz concluded the interview by saying he’ll always fight for what he believes is right.
“I may not be able to keep fighting for money for a living, but I will always have to fight for my dignity, because that’s who I am. I will always tell the truth. I will always tell the fighters out there and the martial artists. I’ll never sell you a handful of wolf tickets that you’re going to go home, feed your family, and poison them, and poison their future. It’s not, it’s, morally it’s just not me. I don’t think Georges is a bad guy. I don’t. I think he’s a good guy, I don’t think he deserves anything bad, I think he’s a nice guy. I think he just put himself in a stupid position to sell this fight.”