UFC Suspends Nate Diaz Following Tweet

[No More Sorrow]

UFC lightweight Nate Diaz is the latest fighter to violate the UFC's code of conduct, and the promotion has suspended him.

Hours after Diaz wrote a derogatory term for a homosexual person on his official Twitter account, UFC President Dana White told MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps*–*MMAjunkie.com) the fighter would be fined and suspended – or possibly released from the promotion. He did not give a timeline for a decision.


But late Thursday, UFC officials issued a statement to MMAjunkie.com saying Diaz had been suspended by the company.


“We are very disappointed by Nate Diaz’s comments, which are in no way reflective of our organization," the statement read. "Nate is currently suspended pending internal investigation and we will provide further comment once the matter has been decided.â€￾


Diaz issued a pair of tweets Thursday in which he expressed sympathy for Pat Healy, who was docked $130,000 in bonus money after testing positive for marijuana, and attacked the fighter given $65,000 of the money, Bryan Caraway.


"I feel bad for pat Healy that they took a innocent mans money and I think the guy who took the money is the biggest F-g in the world," Diaz wrote on Twitter.


Healy submitted Jim Miller at UFC 159 this past month in Newark, N.J. But after his positive test, the win was overturned to a no contest.


Earlier this year, the UFC instituted a formal code of conduct that bars fighters from using discriminatory or derogatory language. This past month, the promotion suspended and fined heavyweight Matt Mitrione for an offensive rant about transgendered fighter Fallon Fox, though the suspension lasted a mere three weeks before he was rebooked for another fight.


Diaz's manager, Mike Kogan, told MMAjunkie.com he expected the UFC to take action, but as of a Thursday afternoon conversation with MMAjunkie.com had not spoken to anyone from the promotion.


Kogan, however, defended Diaz's choice of words. He did not advise the fighter to delete the tweet and advised his Twitter followers to look up the meaning of the word "f-g" in the Urban Dictionary.


"Nate voiced a personal opinion about an incident that took place involving Bryan Caraway in which he chased Dana all over Twitter to try to get a bonus, which was taken away from Pat Healy, got the bonus, and then had the nerve to go back out there and bash the guy and talk s--t about weed-smoking and how much he hates it and how it's wrong, which was, at best, a s--t move on his side," Kogan said.


"Guess what? The word f----t, at least in Northern California, and where Nate is from, means bitch. It means you're a little punk. It has nothing to do with homosexuals at all. So when Nate made the comment that he made, he didn't make it in reference to homosexuals or calling Caraway a homosexual. He just said it was a bitch move."


White has defended fighters such as Ronda Rousey for voicing controversial opinions, but has also blasted fighters for not exercising common sense in using social media. In 2011, the UFC released bantamweight Miguel Torres for tweeting a joke making light of rape, though it later reinstated the fighter after he apologized.


Discussing Mitrione's suspension, White stressed that fighters were free to voice their opinion, but were subject to the consequences of their choice of words.


"How people take it is beyond my control," said Kogan when asked whether fighters such as Diaz are held to a higher standard in their use of social media. "But that's what his intent was. And it was a bitch move, for the record. Pat Healy? It's not like Pat Healy is Georges St-Pierre and he could afford it. That was probably the most money he's ever made in his life. And because of something he did I'm pretty sure way before the fight ... it's not like he walked out into the cage with f---ing weed in his mouth. He got fined. He doesn't need somebody else dwelling over it.


"I'm sure some people got offended, and hopefully this article will explain what his intent was. But how people view it is how people view it. I can't control that. His intent was not to make a derogatory term toward homosexuals. He used the word to refer to a punk or a bitch."

Kind of in disbelief that Diaz's manager told people to look up on Urban Dictionary the real meaning of the word.

 

[Embrace Thou Maryse]

To be fair does fag even mean gay anymore, in the way that people use it it tends to just mean pussy or bitch as Kogan said.

 

[No More Sorrow]

You would think though that he would just say bitch or something to avoid the whole situation completely, but that's common sense we're talking about and this is a Diaz brother.

 

[The Cork]

He really does just come off as a cheap imitation of his brother most the time, trying to win alpha male of the month by using as many slurs as possible.

 

[Embrace Thou Maryse]

– ZUFFA, owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), released following statement today in regards to lightweight fighter Nate Diaz. Diaz has been suspended over using a derogatory, homophobic slur on Twitter earlier this week:

UFC lightweight Nate Diaz has received an immediate 90-day suspension and $20,000 fine for violating the UFC’s fighter code of conduct. The language used in his tweet was regrettable, offensive and inconsistent with the values and culture of the organization, and is not tolerated.

The money will be donated to charity.

~*~*~

90 day suspension for typing the word 'fag' Thats bullshit, dumb as dirt, duller than paint drying Matt Mitrione goes on a 5 minute planned rant about Fallon Fox and he got what, a 2 week suspension. The UFC really need to get some consistency in their punishments, some guys get a slap on the wrist, others get fired.

 

[Big Red Jericho Punk]

I've always been a Nate Diaz fan, but he sure is lucky that he is somewhat of a big name. They weren't going to fire someone, who just main evented a show last December and can still draw major interest in his fights. It was a dumb move on his part. The suspension is no big deal, 90 days isn't anything.

I'm not sure if you guys saw Brian Caraway's response, but boy did he come off as a douche. He was talking about how happy he was to take the bonus and how he is disgusted by weed. I don't like weed either, but still are you serious? The guy took pleasure in taking someone's bonus.

Nate's tweet from last night still says it best and said #urstillasorryassbitch

 

[Embrace Thou Maryse]

Ha Caraway...lots of stories about him circulating at the moment. From selling PEDS at his gym to elbowing Cat Zingano in the back of the head before the Miesha Tate fight. Him and Miesha seem perfect for each other. And yeah his response to this situation is a dick move.

Some of the latest updates to his wiki page:

 

[Big Red Jericho Punk]

I'm a fan of Miesha Tate, but I do realize she is somewhat of a prick. Oh well, the couple could be on the rise of being hated by many.

 

[Embrace Thou Maryse]

I'm a fan of her in the cage, for her skills at least (and her ass) when she isn't using Cat's face to stand back up, but yeah she's shown a few bitch moments in her career so far.

 

[Deezy]

Women fighting isn't the same shit as bros throwing down, they fucking bate eachother andwill do anything to kick her ass. Anybody actually train with women? I have and they are nasty when they roll with other womn.

 

[Troy]

Why oh why do they bother keeping this guy around, such a waste of money. Looks like he has a moron for a manager as well, not the sharpest tool in the shed for the manager to make the comments he did. Maybe the manager should actually start managing the guy to prevent things like this.