Nick Diaz The lifetime ban suggested for Nick Diaz during a hearing Monday into his third alleged marijuana infraction came as a shock to the MMA community, but it did not come out of nowhere. A bill to revise to Nevada’s laws on unarmed combat , passed on June 1, gave the Nevada State Athletic Commission the authority to issue a lifetime ban in disciplinary proceedings – less than a month after a district judge overturned the punishment issued to UFC middleweight Wanderlei Silva for evading a drug test in connection with UFC 175. “In addition to any other disciplinary action that is taken against a person by the Commission pursuant to this chapter, the Commission may impose a ban from participation in unarmed combat in this State for a certain period, including a lifetime ban from participation in unarmed combat in this state,” reads bill AB476, which was introduced to the Nevada assembly in March. The same week a Nevada district court judge ordered Silva’s case back to the NSAC, the commission approved a series of new rules designed to crack down on performance-enhancing drugs. Under those rules, Diaz’s third offense would have drawn a three-year suspension and a fine between 60 percent and 75 percent of the fighter’s purse for a contest.
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NSAC approved lifetime ban in June, new guidelines not yet in effect – MMA Junkie