Even with a clean drug test for UFC 158, Nick Diaz and his camp still aren’t happy with the Quebec Boxing Commission.As reported on Thursday by Bleacher Report MMA, six fighters from the event each turned in negative drug tests for banned and…
Even with a clean drug test for UFC 158, Nick Diaz and his camp still aren’t happy with the Quebec Boxing Commission.
As reported on Thursday by Bleacher Report MMA, six fighters from the event each turned in negative drug tests for banned and illegal substances, but the commission did not release the names of the individuals in the results.
That didn’t escape the notice of welterweight contender Diaz and his camp.
Jonathan Tweedale, a representative of Diaz, confirmed with MMA Weekly that the Stocktonian was indeed one of the fighters tested for drugs—but they want the following details:
1) A copy of the [Quebec commission]’s request to the laboratory specifying which substances the lab was asked to test the sample for (if any).
2) A copy of any documents received from the lab conducting the drug testing showing the precise test results for Mr. Diaz for all substances the sample was actually tested for.
Diaz and his camp have also been at odds with the Quebec Boxing Commission for the past few weeks regarding unusual circumstances regarding Diaz‘s recent title fight against welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.
In addition to their latest request for transparency on the UFC 158 drug tests, Diaz‘s camp has also accused the UFC and the RACJ of conspiring to protect GSP. Diaz even claimed that St-Pierre had been using “plenty of steroids” in his MMA career with the UFC’s consent.
To make matters more suspicious, the Diaz camp also recorded a candid video of UFC legal affairs vice president Michael Mersch telling them “off the record” that the commission would unofficially allow a 0.9-pound safety net during the weigh-ins for Diaz and St-Pierre (via MiddleEasy).
Although Diaz‘s camp and several outlets have attempted to post the video on YouTube, the UFC has repeatedly filed copyright claims to have them taken down.
Circumstances like that—in addition to an extremely one-sided unanimous decision loss to the champion—led Diaz to state in his post-fight interview that he was “done with mixed martial arts” and intended to retire.
That stance was reconfirmed during a recent episode of UFC Tonight, where host Ariel Helwani replayed that Diaz is maintaining his retirement status unless he’s offered a rematch with GSP or a superfight with middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist. His work has appeared in NVision, PC World, Macworld, GamePro, 1UP, MMA Mania & The L.A. Times.
(A loaded bowl, nunchucks, and a ball on a string. In Stockton, this is how you go gently into that good night.)
I just can’t anymore with Nick Diaz, you guys. I just can’t.
Earlier today, Diaz’s (likely overpaid) attorney, Jonathan Tweedale, told MMAMania the following:
Right now Nick is retired, unless he gets rematch with Georges St. Pierre or the big Anderson Silva fight. Apparently, if he doesn’t get those, he’s going to remain retired.
As a longtime fan of Diaz (his fighting style, at least), this “news” did not come as a shock to me, but was disappointing to hear nonetheless. Not because it means we won’t be seeing Diaz in the octagon anytime soon, but because this “I won’t play unless you pass me the ball,” retirement-as-a-bargaining-tool mentality represents the straw that has finally broke this camel’s back.
Look, I could set aside Diaz’s glaring mental deficiencies and overall jackassery back when he was laying waste to the Strikeforce welterweight division (or kicking Frank Shamrock’s ass…especially when he was kicking Frank Shamrock’s ass). When Diaz returned to the UFC after a five year absence, I was generally excited that we would have a new player at 170 lbs. Hell, when Diaz screwed himself out of a shot at St. Pierre, then dropped his next fight to Carlos Condit, thentested positive for marijuana metabolites and subsequently “retired” for the first time, I was still willing to hold onto the hope that Diaz vs. GSP would become a reality just so we could finally put all the debate to rest.
But then, it did happen, and let’s face it, Diaz choked.
(A loaded bowl, nunchucks, and a ball on a string. In Stockton, this is how you go gently into that good night.)
I just can’t anymore with Nick Diaz, you guys. I just can’t.
Earlier today, Diaz’s (likely overpaid) attorney, Jonathan Tweedale, told MMAMania the following:
Right now Nick is retired, unless he gets rematch with Georges St. Pierre or the big Anderson Silva fight. Apparently, if he doesn’t get those, he’s going to remain retired.
As a longtime fan of Diaz (his fighting style, at least), this “news” did not come as a shock to me, but was disappointing to hear nonetheless. Not because it means we won’t be seeing Diaz in the octagon anytime soon, but because this “I won’t play unless you pass me the ball,” retirement-as-a-bargaining-tool mentality represents the straw that has finally broke this camel’s back.
Look, I could set aside Diaz’s glaring mental deficiencies and overall jackassery back when he was laying waste to the Strikeforce welterweight division (or kicking Frank Shamrock’s ass…especially when he was kicking Frank Shamrock’s ass). When Diaz returned to the UFC after a five year absence, I was generally excited that we would have a new player at 170 lbs. Hell, when Diaz screwed himself out of a shot at St. Pierre, then dropped his next fight to Carlos Condit, thentested positive for marijuana metabolites and subsequently “retired” for the first time, I was still willing to hold onto the hope that Diaz vs. GSP would become a reality just so we could finally put all the debate to rest.
But then, it did happen, and let’s be honest, Diaz choked. You can say whatever you want about GSP deceiving us with his threats to unleash his “dark side” on Diaz, but at the end of the day, it was Diaz’s fight to win. He was the one who called GSP out, who needled and prodded the champ through whatever media outlet he could during his suspension, who chased Georges around a hotel in 2011 to pick a fight. He wanted this fight, he wanted it bad, and he even leapfrogged actual contenders in order to get it. However, at UFC 158, gone were the crisp boxing combinations that saw Diaz physically break the likes of Penn, Shamrock, Paul Daley, and K.J. Noons to name a few. Gone was his much talked about grappling game, his relentless aggression, etc. Diaz brought little more than apathy and listlessness to his shot at glory, and when it was all over, all he was left with were excuses. Terrible, damn-near incomprehensible excuses.
It was at this point — at least in my mind — that the mysterious, “fascinating” (as Dana White put it) facade that was Nick Diaz began to fade away, leaving behind a man who was more content to post conspiracy theories about “Canadian loopholes” than acknowledge the fact that he (or perhaps Cesar Gracie) is his own worst enemy.
And it’s a shame, because given the right training camp and a different mentality, Nick Diaz could be a champion. The problem is, I don’t think he really wants to be one. And the most frustrating thing of all is that nowadays, Diaz doesn’t seem like he even wants to earn the right to fight a champion — as if he should be able to fight whoever he chooses based on his credibility alone — hence his current hostage treatment of his own retirement. Diaz was given his shot at GSP, he choked, and of the over one million people who bought the first fight, how many of you would throw down another 50 dollars for the second? The same goes for a Diaz/Silva fight, which would only further our theory that fighters who unretire often look like a shell of their former selves upon doing so.
At just 29 years old, Diaz has already proven as much as he can in the sport of MMA — given his current “exception to the rule” attitude, at least. The fact that he will never become a UFC champion should not detract from what has been an incredibly entertaining, if often despairing career for the Stocktonian. But if Nick is not going to get in line like everyone else and fight his way back to the top, then perhaps it is time that he call it quits.
In short, the anti-bullshit superhero has quickly become its greatest villain. Or the bullshit superhero; your choice. In either case, I have officially stopped caring. How many of you are in the same boat, Potato Nation?
The drug test results for UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz have been returned, and no fighter tested came back with a positive result. The Quebec Boxing Commission, who oversees mixed martial arts regulations, emailed the results to Bleacher Report on Thurs…
The drug test results for UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz have been returned, and no fighter tested came back with a positive result.
The Quebec Boxing Commission, who oversees mixed martial arts regulations, emailed the results to Bleacher Report on Thursday confirming the results.
According to the statement, six fighters at UFC 158 were tested in their anti-doping program and all six came back with negative results.
Due to medical laws and the rules within the commission, it does not, however, release the names of the six fighters who were tested nor the drugs that they were tested for at the event.
While no names were released, it’s almost standard practice among athletic commissions that the main event fighters will be among those tested and in this case four other random fighters on the card.
Regardless whom the fighters were that were drug tested, Nick Diaz’s name did not pop up, which means he’s clear to return to action if he decides to come out of retirement.
Prior to UFC 158 taking place, Diaz, who has twice been suspended in the past for positive tests for marijuana, stated that he’s not sure if he’d pass a drug test if it was administered while he was in Montreal.
“I think (at UFC 143) I tested for a metabolite or a nanogram, it was hardly (anything) so I just did a little more than I did last time so, sorry if I don’t pass the test, but I think it should work out,” Diaz said at the UFC 158 pre-fight press conference. “I’ve passed plenty of them before, unless they just weren’t testing me.”
Even UFC President Dana White expressed that if Diaz should fail a third test for marijuana post UFC 158 that he might have to make the hard decision to cut the Stockton fighter. It looks like if Diaz wants to come back and compete again, so he’s safe to call the UFC home.
The Quebec commission has come under fire since UFC 158 for what has been dubbed “Weight Gate” where there was an apparent rule that allowed title fighters Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz to come in as high as 170.9 pounds and still be ruled as weighing 170 pounds. It’s standard practice that for title fights, the competitors must weigh in at or under the weight limit for that particular division, in this case 170 pounds.
Attorneys for Diaz have threatened to file an appeal with the commission over the incident, but no action has been taken at this time.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report
It’s been two weeks since Georges St-Pierre defeated Nick Diaz in the main event of UFC 158 and we’re still talking about the fight. Maybe not so much the fight because honestly, there’s not too much to say about that, is there? St-Pie…
It’s been two weeks since Georges St-Pierre defeated Nick Diaz in the main event of UFC 158 and we’re still talking about the fight.
Maybe not so much the fight because honestly, there’s not too much to say about that, is there? St-Pierre dominated the bout from start to finish and retained his UFC welterweight title in the process, but the stuff surrounding the fight is what we’re still talking about and trying to make sense of.
The furor over St-Pierre’s questionable hand wraps has died down, as have the claims that St-Pierre is on “plenty of steroids.” That stuff was all pre-fight shenanigans and bluster to get the champ off his game.
It didn’t work, and now the Diaz camp has moved on to bigger and better things.
The issue these days is a video that was shot prior to the weigh-in of the March 16 fight. In the video, the Diaz camp is informed by Michael Mersch, UFC’s Senior VP of Business and Legal Affairs, “They’re going to allow you and Georges to have an extra hour, just in case somebody doesn’t make it, but the good news is, they don’t count the decimal. If you’re 170.2 it’s 170. If it’s 170.9. it’s 170.”
Considering they are being informed of this the day of the weigh-in, someone in the Diaz camp inquires, “Why didn‘t we know that before?”
Mersch continues, “Well, no. It’s just something to keep in mind. That’s kind of an off the record type of thing, but keep that in mind. As long as he’s under 171, we should be good, but there is a time period afterwards, for you and Georges only. All the other fighters have to make it the first time. Just letting you guys be in the loop, okay?”
The Diaz camp can then be heard to call the goings-on, “a loophole.”
When asked about the no-decimal statement, the Quebec Boxing Commission responded to Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden by saying, “Currently, the Régie does take into consideration the maximum weight determined by contract when it carries out the weight-ins before a bout. However, our regulation on combat sports does not take decimals into account. Their consideration is a question of interpretation likely to be debated between the two parties under contract.”
Ah, if only that statement held any water. A quick check by MMAFighting.com’s Mike Chiappetta found that statement to have some holes, and some fairly recent ones at that. Chiappetta sited a March 2012 Ringside MMA event where the main event combatants had recorded and announced weights of 252.8 and 237.6.
So, which is it? Does the Quebec Commission round down or use decimals?
Or as the Diaz camp said, is this “a loophole”?
When Diaz’s lawyer Jonathan Tweedale tried to get answers he wasn’t exactly stonewalled, but he wasn’t answered directly either. We know this because Tweedale forwarded his exchanges with Mersch and the Quebec Commission to BloodyElbow.com’s Brent Brookhouse.
The replies from both parties come across as evasive at best.
In the end, the Diaz camp (via MMAFighting.com) requested that St-Pierre either give Diaz a rematch or relinquish the welterweight title.
That request will almost certainly be denied due to the fact that there is no proof that St-Pierre tipped the scale at anything but his announced weight of 170 pounds. Short of irrefutable proof of that, the Diaz camp really has no grounds to justify the request for a rematch or St-Pierre giving up the title.
The Diaz camp may not get the desired outcome of all this, which is more or less obtaining another huge payday for their fighter in the form of a rematch with St-Pierre. However, they will (should?) succeed in moving the sport forward in a small way by shedding light on some questionable dealings from the commissions that are in charge of overseeing UFC events.
Let’s not forget that whenever UFC president Dana White shouts that the government oversees the sport, these are the people that he is talking about—the people that may or may not always follow the same set of rules when it comes to weigh-ins.
I would expect to see some changes applied during the weigh-in process across the board from the UFC due to this hullabaloo, and that’s nothing but a good thing. But do I expect to see a rematch for Diaz? There’s not a chance of that happening unless real proof exists that St-Pierre didn’t hit 170 when he stepped on the scale at the Bell Centre.
That lack of a rematch may actually be a plus for Diaz, perhaps lighting a fire under him and keeping him in the fight game instead of contemplating retirement. After all, nothing seems to motivate Diaz more than the idea that he is being held down by forces beyond his control.
The refusal to accommodate the request of the Diaz camp for an immediate rematch with St-Pierre will be just another slight in a long line of slights, real or imagined, against the Stockton, Calif. based fighter.
March has been a busy month in MMA, with the UFC, Bellator and World Series of Fighting all hosting at least one event. Between wolf tickets, dazzling debuts and great finishes, March was not short of memorable moments.The UFC visited Japan with a lack…
March has been a busy month in MMA, with the UFC, Bellator and World Series of Fighting all hosting at least one event. Between wolf tickets, dazzling debuts and great finishes, March was not short of memorable moments.
The UFC visited Japan with a lackluster card, but the main attractions saved the entire event. However, it came back with its card in Canada and put on some interesting affairs.
As for Bellator, their eighth season continued to play out with weekly installments. Top contenders like Dave Jansen were sorted out, as he is next in line to challenge Michael Chandler for the lightweight strap.
Lastly, the up-and-coming World Series of Fighting promotion put on their second show headlined by former UFC champ Andrei Arlovski and Anthony Johnson. It was an interesting show scattered with UFC veterans and potential top prospects.
Here are the eight-best moments from the month of March.
Perhaps the third time will be the charm for Nick Diaz.
Following his unanimous decision loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 158, Diaz’s camp first accused Georges St. Pierre’s handwraps of being shady in an effort to demonstrate that Nick Diaz was the victim of a massive conspiracy. That didn’t work, so then a video of the “Canadian loophole” was leaked to prove that the champion was allowed to weigh 0.9 pounds over the 170-pound weight limit. Of course, it turns out that Quebec’s athletic commission has consistently allowed this since UFC 83 in 2008, so that option isn’t nearly as scandalous as it once appeared. Now today, Diaz’s camp accused Quebec’s athletic commission of failing to properly supervise St. Pierre during his post-fight drug test.
But that’s not all. In an email sent to MMAFighting.com, Diaz camp representative Jonathan Tweedale explained that they intend to file a formal complaint regarding the events that took place before and after UFC 158. In this email, not only does Tweedale make it clear that Diaz and company were not impressed by the Quebec commission’s performance, but he goes as far as to write that Nick Diaz deserves a rematch against GSP. Via MMA Fighting:
“The Quebec Commission’s statement is a disappointing admission that the March 16 event was not conducted under the rules applicable to a UFC title fight – or under the rules the fighters contractually agreed to, upon which rules Mr. Diaz was entitled to rely under his bout agreement,” stated Jonathan Tweedale, a Diaz camp representative.
Perhaps the third time will be the charm for Nick Diaz.
Following his unanimous decision loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 158, Diaz’s camp first accused Georges St. Pierre’s handwraps of being shady in an effort to demonstrate that Nick Diaz was the victim of a massive conspiracy. That didn’t work, so then a video of the ”Canadian loophole” was leaked to prove that the champion was allowed to weigh 0.9 pounds over the 170-pound weight limit. Of course, it turns out that Quebec’s athletic commission has consistently allowed this since UFC 83 in 2008, so that option isn’t nearly as scandalous as it once appeared. Now today, Diaz’s camp accused Quebec’s athletic commission of failing to properly supervise St. Pierre during his post-fight drug test.
But that’s not all. In an email sent to MMAFighting.com, Diaz camp representative Jonathan Tweedale explained that they intend to file a formal complaint regarding the events that took place before and after UFC 158. In this email, not only does Tweedale make it clear that Diaz and company were not impressed by the Quebec commission’s performance, but he goes as far as to write that Nick Diaz deserves a rematch against GSP. Via MMA Fighting:
“The Quebec Commission’s statement is a disappointing admission that the March 16 event was not conducted under the rules applicable to a UFC title fight – or under the rules the fighters contractually agreed to, upon which rules Mr. Diaz was entitled to rely under his bout agreement,” stated Jonathan Tweedale, a Diaz camp representative.
Later in a lengthy statement, the Diaz camp claimed it will file an official complaint regarding the administration of St-Pierre’s drug test.
“Further serious irregularities including, inter alia, the Quebec Commission’s failure to supervise fighters’ provision of samples in connection with testing for Prohibited Substances and Prohibited Methods (under sections 71.1 to 71.6 of the Regulation), will be set out in an official complaint that will be filed imminently,” the Diaz camp stated.
I hate to be “that guy,” but if Diaz’s camp truly believes that the UFC wanted Nick Diaz to lose and that Quebec’s athletic commission is corrupt, then exactly what will filing a complaint accomplish? Eh, never mind. Let’s continue.
“Section 168 of the Regulation respecting combat sports provides that the maximum weight that a fighter must achieve at the official weigh-in shall be determined in advance by contract – and if the fighter does not make the contracted weight – in this case 170 pounds – then 20% of his purse or “the contestant’s remuneration” will be deducted and paid to his opponent (subsections (7) and (8)). The contracted weight for this fight was 170 pounds. 170.9 is not 170, anywhere in the world, for a title fight. There is no question what “170 pounds” means, in the bout agreement, as a matter of contractual interpretation.
“The Quebec Commission deliberately relaxed the rule in this case and, by its own admission, allowed their home-town fighter to ‘make weight’ even if he weighed more than the contracted weight.”
“In the circumstances, Mr. St-Pierre remains legally and ethically obligated to fight Mr. Diaz at 170 pounds or else vacate the belt in favor of those prepared to fight at welterweight.”
It’s interesting that Nick Diaz is handling this loss like he’s the new BJ Penn, especially considering the way that his camp reacted to BJ Penn’s allegations that Nick Diaz cheated during their encounter at UFC 137. Is Diaz caught in the middle of a massive conspiracy involving a corrupt organization, a shady athletic commission and an evil welterweight kingpin? Perhaps. Or maybe Nick Diaz simply lost a fight against the most dominant welterweight on the planet today. What do you think about this, Potato Nation?
Even with a clean drug test for UFC 158, Nick Diaz and his camp still aren’t happy with the Quebec Boxing Commission.