In Supporting Nick Diaz, Actions Will Speak Louder Than Words

I really wasn’t planning on writing anything regarding the Nick Diaz situation.

You can blame the ramblings you’re about to read on a lack of MMA events happening this week and absolutely no desire to want to talk about that whole Urijah Faber-Duane Ludwig-TJ Dillashaw love triangle that everyone else is pretending is important because there’s nothing else to talk about.

Now, you all should know what I’m talking about here; the situation that started when Nick failed a drug test for marijuana after his fight with Anderson Silva at UFC 183 and resulted in an unprecedented 5 year ban by the Nevada Athletic Commission. It is the largest and most ridiculous punishment Nevada has doled out since they threw a lifetime ban at Wanderlei Silva for running from a drug test that they may or may not have had the authority to even administer in the first place.

Many opinions have already been written on the case. Some have supported Nick’s suspension, although I can’t be sure that some of those who did weren’t just trolling for page clicks, and most have opposed it, or at least agreed it’s too severe, especially in light of the inconsistencies with how Nick was tested and how unfairly Nick was treated by the commissioners in exercising his constitutional right to refuse to talk during his hearing.

I’m with the majority in agreeing that the commission overstepped their bounds in denying Nick his due process and in handing down a punishment that is harsher than what the commission’s own guidelines (that those very commissioners have voted in favor of) say should be used in this specific situation with a repeat offender.

And it’s not just fans and journalists who share that opinion. It’s the fighters too. From rising prospects like Aljamain Sterling and Leslie Smith to future title contender Henry Cejudo, the vast majority of the UFC roster has expressed outrage over this “miscarriage of justice” (thanks, JR) and the need for something to be done to correct this blatant abuse of power.

Even top UFC stars, like Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor, have shared in our communal outrage, with Rousey calling the situation “…100 percent wrong” and the Notorious One agreeing it is “[U]tterly ridiculous.” It must be comforting for Nick to know he has so much support for the plight he’s currently going through.

Too bad talk won’t do a damn thing to fix this or stop it from happening again.

While it’s great to hear Conor speak out about the situation, since whenever he opens his mouth, his crazy, crazy fanbase listens, right now all that talk is just that: talk.

Same goes for Ronda. It’s definitely cool to see Ronda, who has been called an honorary Diaz brother by the man himself, speak out and lend her support, it’s not going to do Nick any good if that’s as far as she goes to help.

I think most of us understand that the issue here is Nevada failing to do its job in giving Nick his proper day in court (seriously, stop using this to argue about whether marijuana is a performance enhancing drug or not). Of course, the athletic commission isn’t a true court of law but it is a representative body for the state of Nevada and should act in a manner befitting an authority with the power they have been given the legal precedent to wield.

It is for that reason that the Governor of Nevada, or at least his office, gave a statement supporting the commission and refusing to second-guess their judgment because they should be able to do their job properly. I mean, these commissioners wouldn’t have been appointed to this body if they couldn’t, right?

Yeah, I know. That’s bullshit. All we have to do is look at last year to see that the Nevada Athletic Commission will do whatever it wants. If they like you, they’ll give you a reduced punishment (like Chael Sonnen before he got busted for using banned steroids and not just doctor prescribed ones) or no punishment at all (like Vitor Belfort), and if they don’t like you, they’ll do everything in their power to ruin your career (like Nick and Wanderlei).

The commission can deny there’s any sort of favoritism or special treatment going on during their meetings, but it sure seems like there is, and, while appealing the decision in an actual court of law is a good course of action to deter this type of treatment in the future, there is a lot more that the sport itself can be doing to help fight these injustices.

The best option would be to hit the commission where it’d hurt the most: their wallets.

If UFC truly felt that Nick got screwed over by the commission and wanted to do something about it, here’s what they can do: tell the commission they won’t hold any more UFC events in the state until they rescind Nick’s ludicrous suspension and give his case another look.

That’s a big way to impact the commission, as, while some of the money the commission gets for operating costs come from the state, the majority of it is earned through the fees they charge for promoters to run events in the state with proper sanctioning.

The commission does make money through boxing, though not as much now since the only real draw in boxing, Floyd Mayweather, is retired (for now, at least), but a lot of their revenue is made from the UFC, who runs several major shows on the Las Vegas strip every year. Do you not think that the commission would feel the blow that would be dealt if, all of a sudden, UFC canceled all future shows in the state until Nick got his due process and a punishment that actually fits his crime? The commission may not be able to operate with that much income disappearing overnight, so I think it’d have an effect.

Of course, UFC standing up to the Nevada commission is not likely to happen. I mean, Nevada is one of the most influential commissions in the country, as well as the main commission the UFC has to work with on a regular basis. They aren’t going to rock that boat.

So, maybe the fighters should do something. A few have already pledged to refuse to fight in the state, although some have already backed off since a fight’s a fight, right? The most high profile fighter to take the stance is Cejudo, who has already said he is willing to refuse a title fight if it’s offered to him in Nevada.

I think this is very admirable for the Olympic gold medalist to do, and, as a top contender in a shallow weight class and one of the fighters UFC hopes to utilize in its expansion of Mexico, he’s in a position where he can uphold his stance and have it mean something.

But that’s not enough. He’s a relevant fighter, sure, but not one people are paying money to see (not yet, anyway). If the fighters really want to stop these kinds of injustices from happening again, especially since it could happen to any of them, then we need the top dogs to get in on this. Cejudo refusing to fight in Nevada won’t impact the commission all that much, but if Conor and Ronda both refused to fight in the state? Then I could see them become more willing to take another look at their ruling.

Is this something that is likely to happen? No, it’s not. There’s too much money at stake. UFC consistently draws its biggest gates in Nevada and I’m sure they have more than enough reasons (a couple million, actually) to keep bringing big fights to the state. Refusing to fight in the state would also make it very difficult for Conor to get the most out of that nine-figure contract he’s totally going to get. *WINK*

Or maybe UFC will take action once they get all the facts, as Dana White said is what he’s waiting on. I dunno. I’m just some guy on the Internet talking out of his ass. Either way, Nick’s suspension is likely to be struck down by a judge for being too excessive anyway and he’ll get a new punishment that will still piss people off but not as much.

So don’t worry, everybody. Nick will be back doing what he loves in no time. Or what he hates. It’s really hard to tell with him.

Evan Zivin has been writing for 411 MMA since May of 2013. Evan loves the sport, and likes to takes a lighthearted look at the world of MMA in his writing…usually.