MMA fighter Nick Diaz says smoking marijuana is part of his plan

Yeah, I think I could use a bong hit after a day of work like this, don't you? (Nick Diaz - Pro Elite Photo)

For mainstream sports fans thirsting for an athlete to come completely clean about taboo subjects in sports, here’s an introduction to mixed martial arts fighter Nick Diaz, who not only speaks openly but is willing to answer follow-up questions.

“I’m more consistent about everything being a cannabis user,” Diaz said in an interview with The Times last week. “I’m happy to get loaded, hear some good music . . . I remain consistent. And I have an easy way to deal with [the drug tests].

“I can pass a drug test in eight days with herbal cleansers. I drink 10 pounds of water and sweat out 10 pounds of water every day. I’ll be fine.”

…Unfortunately for Diaz, state athletic commissions also ban marijuana use, and he tested positive for the illegal drug in Las Vegas after his impressive win over Japan’s Takanori Gomi in early 2007. A state athletic commissioner in Nevada argued Diaz was numb to pain because of excessive marijuana in his system. Diaz’s victory was vacated; he was fined and suspended for six months.

“The drug is banned because of the damage it does to the person taking it,” said Keith Kizer, Nevada State Athletic Commission executive officer. “It could make you lethargic, slow your reflexes, and those are dangerous things in a combat sport.”

Well, I’m sure Nick isn’t firing up the RooR right before entering the cage!  Yeah, Keith, I’d agree, that sounds like a horrible idea.  But let’s say you’re not completely reefer mad and somehow, regular pot smoking slows a fighter’s reflexes.  How, then, did 25-year-old Nick rack up an 18-7 record?  Is he just so lightning quick that even firing at below 100% he’s less lethargic than eighteen other presumably well-trained non-pot-smoking fighters trying to bash his face in?

The California State Athletic Commission said Diaz would undergo drug testing before and after Saturday’s fight.

Diaz, however, argues marijuana eases problems he has battled since childhood when, he says, he was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and prescribed mood-altering medication. His rebellion as a youth forced him to relocate to schools where he continually felt out of place and he ultimately became a high school dropout.

…In Nick’s first post-UFC fight, he tested positive for marijuana. He suspects someone tipped off authorities. “I got high in my [hotel] room the night before every [UFC] fight,” Diaz said. But Kizer said Diaz was merely among 10 of 16 PRIDE Fighting Championships athletes who were tested that night.

Said Shamrock of Diaz: “He definitely smokes marijuana. That’s his own business, but it’s not the greatest thing for the sport. We’re fighting a stigma. Still, there’s something refreshing about his honesty.”

via – The Los Angeles Times “MMA fighter Nick Diaz says smoking marijuana is part of his plan“

Why is it not the greatest thing for mixed martial arts?  You have guys like Sean “Muscle Shark” Sherk testing positive for steroids – who coulda seen that one comin’, huh? – and Karo “Corn Syrup”* Parisiyan loaded up on pharmaceutical painkillers, quite a performance-enhancing drug in a sport where you lose when the pain of a joint lock becomes unbearable and you tap out.  From what I read, Nick probably needs a couple more bong hits at the hospital so he mellows out and doesn’t get into brawls with opponents.

I’ve never understood big pro sports’ love for the finest medical technologies in surgery, protective gear, painkilling, hydration, and nutrition, yet the total disdain for cannabis (yeah, I know, “pot’s illegal”, “drugs’r'bad mmmkay”, and “what about the children?!?”, aside from that).  If you are an NBA superstar with a nine-figure contract, are you really going to consistently smoke an herb that slows your crossover dribble and hinders your shot?  If you are an NFL lineman facing a pass-rushing defensive end who’s 320 lbs and lightning quick, are you going to regularly take bong hits that slows your reaction to the snap count?

Most important: if you’re an MMA fighter facing a Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert who’s going to spend the next five minutes trying to knock you out, choke you unconscious, or break your limbs, are you really going to hot box the dressing room during the undercard?

*Not his real nickname, but I just could not resist.  Apologies to Chris Berman at ESPN.