NSAC Suspends Diaz, Hardy vs. Ludwig Booked for UFC 146 - MMA Combat

NSAC Suspends Diaz, Hardy vs. Ludwig Booked for UFC 146 - MMA Combat

Former Strikeforce welterweight champion and recent UFC interim title challenger, Nick Diaz, has had a temporary suspension placed on his fighter license by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after the commission addressed his positive sample from UFC 143.

Diaz battled Carlos Condit over five rounds in the evening's main-event, but a sample taken in routine commission testing turned up a positive result for Marijuana, a drug Diaz has a medical license for in the state of California however, failed to take the steps to get an exemption leading up to the fight. The result marks the second time Diaz has tested positive for the substance, the first, taking place in 2007 when he had his victory over Takanori Gomi over-turned to a no-contest.

Diaz is required to be present for a formal hearing, during which time both incidents will be discussed and he will be permitted to appeal the decision. Keith Kizer, NSAC executive director, has made the following comment regarding Diaz's situation when speaking with MMAJunkie:

"In the past, the norm for a positive test for marijuana is six months, but we have had two repeat offenders, and they both got a 12-month suspension. But that doesn't necessarily mean that's what will happen here."

Hardy vs. Ludwig, Gonzaga vs. Del Rosario at UFC 146

The UFC has also added two fights to their upcoming UFC 146 - Dos Santos vs. Overeem card, which is scheduled to take place May 26, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the first, welterweight strikers Duane "Bang" Ludwig and Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy will come to blows in a bout that could be a do-or-die showing for both men. Ludwig is 2-3 since returning to the octagon in January of 2010, and most recently was submitted by fellow veteran Josh Neer in the first round at UFC on FX - Guillard vs. Miller. After winning his first four fights under the UFC banner, Hardy has fallen on hard times himself dropping his next four to the likes of Georges St. Pierre, Carlos Condit, Anthony Johnson, and Chris Lytle respectively. "The Outlaw" requested some extended time away, but is now prepared to right the ship this coming May.

The second announced bout will feature a pair of heavyweights in Gabriel Gonzaga and Shane Del Rosario. Gonzaga made his return to the promotion in January of this year when he defeated Ednaldo Oliveira in the first round by Rear Naked Choke at UFC 142 - Aldo vs. Mendes. A veteran of Strikeforce, where he posted a 3-0 record, Del Rosario will be making his UFC debut when he steps into the cage against the seasoned grappler Gonzaga. In his most recent outing, the undefeated California-based slugger defeated Lavar Johnson by arm-bar at 4:31 of the first round.

The updated UFC 146 - Dos Santos vs. Overeem card is below:
UFC Heavyweight Championship
Junior Dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem

Edson Barboza vs. Evan Dunham
Dan Hardy vs. Duane "Bang" Ludwig
Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins
C.B. Dollaway vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller
Shane Del Rosario vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira
Paul Sass vs. Jacob Volkmann


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