Nate Diaz isn’t an uncommon name to the fans of combat sports. The man is a legend in so many ways, but not before crossing his fair share of hurdles. ‘The Stockton Slugger’ seems to even have had a run-in with the very punishing USADA. But it might have ended very differently than one would expect.

In a recent conversation on Weighing In, former lightweight contender Josh Thompson revealed an interesting detail about Diaz. Thompson spoke candidly about the way things unfolded before the fighter took on Jorge Masvidal for a brand-new title. Here’s how Dana White and Co. reacted when the USADA came knocking.

Nate Diaz tested positive!

Nate Diaz was all set to go up against Jorge Masvidal back in 2019. The fight itself transpired after Diaz proclaimed himself the “baddest motherfu*ker in the game” and challenged Masvidal to a fight. Once the idea of it caught traction, Dana White announced the BMF title and the fight was about to happen.

This is when USADA caught traces of Ligandrol while testing Diaz which temporarily closed things out for the fight. Ligandrol is a banned substance and having it in your bloodstream means staying out of the cage. Thomson revealed that the UFC pushed hard to make sure the fight happened anyway.

“I look at it this way, this is the thing,” Thomson said. “Look what they [the UFC] were trying to do with Nate Diaz. He tested positive, and they were like, ‘You know what, we’ll get it sorted out now.’ That means that they knew that Nate tested [positive], and they were still gonna let him fight… So I would not say that they have not tried to do that, or would not do it.”

It’s like once an arrow gets shot, it can’t be pulled back. White had already announced a shiny new belt for a big fight at Madison Square Garden. It was going to be a spectacle like no other. Canceling it out could have cost the UFC a lot of money and their reputation. But is that enough reason to let things get swept under the rug?

Was Diaz offered hush money to keep things quiet?

According to Thomson, the UFC couldn’t contain their eagerness. Allegedly, the Stockton-based fighter was offered hush money so that he didn’t declare his test results out in the open. Because he went out and did that, things would go sideways quickly.

Also Read: “They Even Tried To Offer Money…”: 3 Years After the Iconic BMF Title Fight, Dana White and Co. and Nate Diaz’s Ugly Truth of Hiding Positive USADA Results Gets Exposed

 “I know people in Nate’s camp that said they even tried to offer money,” said Thomson. However, reportedly Diaz declined the offer and went out to declare his results anyway. Later on, it was revealed that the traces were found due to vitamins that the fighter was taking at the time. The fight went on and Diaz lost to Masvidal. Apparently, he wasn’t the “baddest motherfu*ker” after all. But looks like he was one of the most honest.

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