UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has joined the chorus of support for mixed martial arts, or MMA, fighter Nick Diaz, who was banned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, or NSAC, for testing positive for marijuana. Diaz was handed a five-year suspension, which, according to NSAC, is essentially equivalent to a “lifetime ban” from competing in the Octagon.

Rousey, considered UFC’s biggest draw and the most visible athlete in the world of MMA, defended Diaz after the latter received an unprecedented suspension from NSAC due to a third failed drug test following his fight against Anderson Silva at UFC 183. Rousey said it was “unfair” for Diaz to be suspended for five years for marijuana, when Silva was only banned for a year for anabolic steroids.

“Nick is a very close and dear friend of mine, so of course I’m going to defend him,” Rousey said, the Toronto Sun reports. “But it’s so unfair if one person tests for steroids that could actually hurt a person and the other person smokes a plant that makes him happy and he gets suspended for five years.”

“Rowdy” also revealed she is against the commission testing for a non-performance-enhancing drug like marijuana, saying that it has nothing to do with athletic competition.

The controversy arose when Diaz’s two other samples on fight night passed drug tests, which was analysed by the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory, an organisation accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency, or WADA. However, the third failed test was examined by Quest Diagnostics, which is not WADA-accredited. NSAC, though, stood by Quest’s testing technique and insisted that the commission has implemented a testing method they have been using over time.

Meanwhile, support for Diaz continues to mount as Olympic gold medalist and UFC flyweight fighter Henry Cejudo announced he will not fight in Nevada anymore in light of the commission’s controversial ruling. Cejudo’s manager Bill McFarlane wrote a letter to MMA Fighting, which states that the former freestyle wrestler will no longer consider competing in Nevada because he is not sure NSAC can manage a fair and credible testing process.

“Others may want to roll the dice in Nevada, but I for one do not feel the NAC is capable of conducting itself in a manner consistent with their mission statement, appropriate enforcement of existing regulations, conducting business in a fair and unbiased manner, or the exercise of due process in their enforcement actions,” part of the letter said.

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