UFC tried to bribe, silence Nate Diaz in USADA drug scandal according to bombshell accusation from ex-opponent

 

UFC will go to great lengths to protect its interests.

Sometimes that requires a loophole, other times it calls for an exemption. Either way, the show must go on, assuming all parties involved have agreed to stick to the script. That doesn’t appear to be the case for Nate Diaz, who ran afoul of USADA after testing positive for banned substances back in late 2019.

Diaz was promptly cleared of any wrongdoing and permitted to compete at UFC 244.

But retired UFC lightweight Josh “The Punk” Thomson, who scored a knockout win over Diaz at UFC on FOX 7 more than a decade ago, accused the promotion of mismanaging the situation behind the scenes. In fact, “The Punk” claims Diaz was offered money to keep his trap shut while decision makers found a way to sweep it under the carpet.

“Look what they were trying to do with Nate Diaz,” Thomson said on his “Weighing In” podcast with referee John McCarthy (transcribed by MMA News). “He tested positive, and they were like, ‘You know what, we’ll get it all sorted out after.’ And Nate said, ‘F*** you, we’ll get it sorted out now.’ That means they knew that Nate tested, 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.”