Nick Diaz Skips CSAC Drug Test, Out For Saturday’s Strikeforce Event
The Nick Diaz and Jay Hieron match is no more for Saturday’s Strikeforce event as Diaz skipped a drug test ordered by the California State Athletic Commission and now can’t be licensed in time to make the fight
Hieron (17-4) will will now face Jesse Taylor (13-3).
Taylor was a competitor on Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter reality show.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said the replacement bout will now be a three-round non-title fight.
Diaz license expired July 25 and the controversial fighter was told by the commission that his failure of a marijuana test in Nevada in 2007 meant he would have to pass a drug screening to get a new license.
The test was scheduled for this past Friday night in Sacramento, California.
William Douglas of the CSAC said Diaz’s manager, Cesar Gracie, was notified that last Friday was the latest the test could be performed so that the results would be back in time for Diaz to be licensed for the Saturday card.
Coker said he and the commission arranged for Diaz to fly to Los Angeles on Monday morning, where the urine sample would be hand-delivered to the World Anti-Doping Association lab at UCLA.
“We have contacted the promoter as well as the Diaz camp on numerous occasions beginning at approximately 6:45 p.m. on Saturday evening to ensure the drug test was completed today,” Douglas said Monday. “Those communications have not garnered a response from any individual until [earlier Monday] when the promoter made contact with Inspector Segovia informing him that attempts to reach Cesar Gracie were being made.”
Diaz-Hieron was to establish the first Strikeforce welterweight champion, on a show airing nationally on Showtime. At one point there were four championship matches on the bill, headlined by Gina Carano vs. Cris “Cyborg” Santos, which establishes the first women’s championship, in the 145 pound weight class, for any major MMA promotion.
The women’s fight, Gina Carano vs Cristiane Cyborg Santos, is the only original title fight remaining on the card. Strikeforce Heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem pulled out of his title defense against Fabricio Werdum after a hand injury suffered in a bar fight in Holland failed to heal in time.
Strikeforce Lightweight champion Josh Thomson suffered a broken ankle in April and a second leg injury during training for his title defense against Gilbert Melendez. Melendez will now face Mitsuhiro Ishida for the interim lightweight championship.
This is the third time Diaz has run up against drug testing issues. In February 2007, Diaz tested positive for an unusually high concentration of THC – the super special ingredient in marijuana – after submitting Pride lightweight champion Takanori Gomi in a non-title match in Las Vegas. Diaz was suspended for six months for that violation. Diaz was scheduled to face Jae Suk Lim in March 2008, in San Jose, California as part of a SHOWTIME event, but the CSAC pulled him from that card when Diaz admitted using marijuana to combat Attention Deficit Disorder.
Diaz then went on record as saying that, shortly before his win over Frank Shamrock in March, he knows how to beat the test for reefer.
“I can pass a drug test in eight days with herbal cleansers,” Diaz said. “I drink 10 pounds of water and sweat out 10 pounds of water every day.”
According to Coker, he plans to give Diaz yet another shot with his promotion.
“We will promote him again,” Coker said. “But we’ll have to have a conversation with everyone involved if he doesn’t make it to Los Angeles.”
Televised Bouts:
Gina Carano (7-0) vs. Cristiane Cyborg Santos (7-1)
145 Women’s Championship
Jesse Taylor (134-3) vs. Jay Hieron (17-4)
Replacement Bout
Renato “Babalu” Sobral (35-8) vs. Gegard Mousasi (25-2-1)
Light Heavyweight Championship
Gilbert Melendez (15-2) vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida (18-5-1)
Interim Lightweight Championship
Non-Televised Undercard Bouts:
Mike Kyle (12-6-1) vs. Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1) – Heavyweight
Scott Lighty (4-0) vs. Mike Cook (7-4) – 205 lbs
David Douglas (4-1) vs. Justin Wilcox (5-3) – 155 lbs
James Terry (6-1) vs. Zac Bucia (2-3) – 170 lbs
Isaiah Hill (4-6) vs. Alex Trevino (3-0) – 155 lbs
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[...] Originally Posted by Atikkus WAR DIAZ BROTHERS!…………………………. … u can smoke weed as much as you want in cali if you have a med card. The commission cant do shit because its not a PED and they have no idea what time frame he was smoking. Could have been 3 weeks ago and thats before the fight was even inked!… Could you please just read the page before? Or here read the link again. The CSAD prohibits many substances that can be prescribed legally, including marijuana. Nick Diaz Skips CSAC Drug Test, Out For Saturday’s Strikeforce Event | squabbles.com [...]