Nate Diaz has been given a public warning by the United States Anti-Doping Agency for use of a prohibited substance in competition.
Disciplinary action of some sort was to be expected after Diaz admitted that the substance he was using while vaping at the UFC 202 post-fight press conference was cannabidiol.
Cannabidiol is one of the many active cannabinoids contained in cannabis and all are banned in-competition under the World Anti-Doping Agency regulations.
“It’s CBD,” Diaz explained at the press conference when asked what he was using. “It helps with the healing process and inflammation, stuff like that. So you want to get these for before and after the fights, training. It’ll make your life a better place.”
The fact that Diaz was publicly vaping the prohibited substance after the fight led to plenty of confusion in relation to when exactly the in-competition stage ended and, following an investigation, USADA arrived at the conclusion that Diaz was unaware that he was still technically in-competition when he chose to use the oil.
Diaz, who lost to Conor McGregor in the main event of UFC 202, passed all of his drug tests for his bout and USADA thus saw fit to respond with a slap on the wrist.
“Based on these circumstances, USADA determined that a public warning was an appropriate response to Diaz’s use of a specified substance during the in-competition period,” the statement read.
USADA consider athletes to be in competition from six hours prior to the official weigh-ins up until six hours after their bout.
Diaz accepted the public warning for his policy violation.
