Though Nate Diaz dropped a bomb on UFC 244 on Thursday, stating that he was out of his headlining fight with Jorge Masvidal, he hasn’t yet been officially ruled out.
Diaz apparently derailed one of the biggest UFC non-title fights in history when he tweeted that a drug test had shown “elevated levels,” adding that he wouldn’t make it to New York City for the Masvidal bout. The two are scheduled to meet in the UFC 244 main event at Madison Square Garden for the fictional Baddest Motherf—er title. UFC president Dana White confirmed the promotion had even spent $50,000 to create a belt for the winner.
“I’m not gonna make it out to NYC for fight week next week because they say I tested with elevated levels that they say might be from some tainted supplements,” Diaz wrote on Thursday
“So until UFC, USADA or whoever is f—ing with me fixes it, I won’t be competing.”
An ESPN report, however, indicated that Diaz has not yet been ruled out of the fight by the UFC or by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which oversees the UFC’s Anti-Doping Program. Meaning, he has not yet been provisionally suspended or otherwise removed from the bout.
“UFC and USADA are gathering information and will issue a statement as soon as possible,” USADA spokesperson Adam Woullard told ESPN.
Unidentified sources told ESPN that Diaz tested positive for trace amounts of a prohibited selective androgen receptor module (SARM). In his post Thursday, Diaz adamantly denies knowingly taking any banned drugs, and did not identify the substance for which he said he was found to have “elevated levels.”
This article first appeared at News – MMAWeekly.com
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