Nate Diaz
UFC fighter Nate Diaz had already made a name for himself in the mixed martial arts game before back-to-back fights with phenom Conor McGregor skyrocketed him to worldwide fame. Perhaps that’s why the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NAC) and U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) jumped at the chance to investigate him after he openly vaped at UFC 202’s post-fight press conference.
At the now infamous UFC presser, live streamed across the Internet, a battered Diaz began drawing from a vape pen, which was loaded with CBD oil for “the healing process and inflammation,” he stated. Journalists began tweeting more about the vaporizer than anything Diaz had to say about the fight, which he lost to McGregor on Aug. 20.
That NAC investigation was eventually dropped, since Diaz only vaped after the competition, but USADA are stilling looking into whether he’ll be punished with a one-year ban. His brother, fellow UFC fighter Nick Diaz, faced a five-year suspension in the prime of his career after testing positive for cannabinoids post-competition. But the suspension was reduced to one year after a court battle ensued.
In the wake of the mini-scandal, Nate Diaz was able to draw some much-needed attention to the health benefits of CBD, which can treat anxiety, depression, pain, inflammation and epilepsy. CBD can be effective in helping athletes recover free of the health risks posed by certain painkillers that didn’t make the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list, which USADA and NAC base their regulations on.
