Conor McGregor's most recent opponent Nate Diaz has accepted a public warning from the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for using Cannabidiol.
Diaz who beat McGregor at UFC196, before losing the rematch at UFC202 in August "admitted using a prohibited substance during the in-competition period", USADA confirmed.
UFC Athlete, Diaz, Accepts Public Warning for Anti-Doping Policy Violation https://t.co/5iUoEjNHlf
— USADA (@usantidoping) October 6, 2016
UFC Anti-Doping Policy categorises "in-competition" as six hours prior to weigh-in and six hours after the end of the particular fight.
In their statement, USADA explained: "Cannabidiol is a specified substance in the class of Cannabinoids and prohibited only in-competition under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.
"As part of its results management process, USADA gathered information and communicated with the athlete about the circumstances of his use of Cannabidiol on August 20, 2016. USADA concluded that Diaz mistakenly believed that the in-competition period ended after he provided a post-bout sample to USADA. In addition, the in-competition urine and blood samples provided by Diaz before his admitted use were analyzed and reported as negative for all prohibited substances, including Cannabinoids. Based on these circumstances, USADA determined that a public warning was an appropriate response to Diaz’s use of a specified substance during the in-competition period."
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