UFC fighter Nate Diaz, no stranger to controversy, has shown once again that he has no fear of being himself.
Diaz last fought three years ago in his second fight against Conor McGregor where he lost by a narrow decision. Diaz had won the first bout between the two fighters via submission. He will take on Anthony Pettis this weekend at UFC 241.
While preparing this week for his comeback fight, the Ultimate Fighter 5 winner lit up a CBD joint during an open workout covered by major news outlets.
Open workout or open smokeout? @NateDiaz209 just lit up a blunt on stage ahead of #UFC241 pic.twitter.com/5DJeUzL0Pj
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) August 15, 2019
Diaz showed he isn’t selfish when it comes to social smoking and passed the joint around to fans in the crowd.
It’s cool, though. He passed it to the crowd … pic.twitter.com/YNLHHSXgmP
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) August 15, 2019
Diaz, known for profanity and other provocative acts during his fights and press conferences has provided a lot of firsts for UFC. His open workout continued that trend.
“Definitely, the first time that this happened at a UFC open workout,” MMA reporter Aaron Bronsteter said via twitter of Diaz passing a joint around.
Although the optics may seem cringe-worthy for UFC brass, the organization has partnered with Aurora Cannabis to study the effects of CBD on UFC fighters. In 2018, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed CBD from its list of banned substances. UFC abides by the regulations set by WADA. Diaz brought considerable attention to CBD use by athletes after losing to McGregor in 2016 where he vaped during the post-fight press conference. Although he claimed his vape pen only contained CBD, WADA still issued a warning to him for admitting to using cannabinoids.
Diaz is more than just a cannabis and CBD consumer. He and brother Nick, also a UFC fighter, have launched Game Up Nutrition, a company that produces plant-based products including organic multivitamins as well as CBD oils and muscle balms. Diaz took the opportunity during the open workout to plug his company.
“I have to smoke the weed after the fight,” Diaz said at the workout, referring to the fact that he has to avoid testing positive for THC before this weekend’s fight but can consume CBD without violating UFC rules. “So I had to smoke Game Up.”
