Nate Diaz Lights Up During UFC Open Workout
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]I[/dropcap]n the middle of the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on Aug. 14, MMA fighter Nate Diaz casually lit up a CBD joint during his workout. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star appeared to be completely unbothered with the notion of smoking the joint inside of an indoor arena.
After the fighter took a hit, he passed it to a videographer before the joint made its way to some fans. “I said pass it around,” Diaz said. “It’s good etiquette, for sure.” After smoking up, Diaz explained that he was smoking a CBD blend, without the psychoactive properties of THC.
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— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 15, 2019
It’s certainly not the first time that Diaz has tested the boundaries of what he can do with cannabis within the world of MMA. In 2016, Diaz vaped a CBD pen at a UFC press conference. Last year, Diaz brandished a blunt on live TV at the UFC Fight Night Austin. Diaz’s brother Nick was banned from fighting for testing positive for cannabis, but the punishment was reduced. The Diaz brothers recently partnered with California Finest to release their own lines of pre-rolls.
Diaz’s appetite for CBD-rich cannabis doesn’t appear to hamper his ability to defeat his opponents in the octagon. On Aug. 17, Diaz defeated Anthony Pettis at the co-main event at UFC 241. With the UFC’s growing acceptance of CBD unfolding, it’s becoming an important herbal supplement for some UFC fighters.
Fortunately for Diaz, The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed CBD from its banned list in 2018. THC, however remains prohibited by WADA in-competition, for any amounts at 150ng/ml or higher.
The UFC recently entered into a partnership with Aurora Cannabis and will be testing CBD with athlete volunteers at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Diaz brothers’ alignment with the cannabis industry dates back to at least 2007, and it isn’t sling down any time soon.
