Nick Diaz’s upcoming ‘superfight’ with Anderson Silva in January has been thrown in to doubt after it emerged that not only was Diaz was arrested on a DUI charge last week, but it’s actually the second time he’s faced that charge in the space of 10 months.
Diaz was stopped by the police near his hometown of Stockton in the early hours of the morning last Saturday, 6th September where he was transported to Lodi City jail on suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol.
When he arrived at the jail Diaz was asked to provide either a blood or breath sample. However, the UFC fighter requested to use the bathroom first, only to then attempt to vomit several times in the toilet despite being told not to by officers.
As a result of his actions Diaz now faces charges of suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, obstructing a police officer, destruction of evidence and driving with a suspended license in relation to the incident.
News of Diaz’s arrest only came too light last night courtesy of the Lodi News, but once the story broke it then emerged that this wasn’t Diaz’s first brush with the law in recent times.
Back in November 20th of last year Diaz was also arrested for DUI, DUI with an alcohol or drug reading above .08 and unsafe speed for prevailing conditions.
To make matters worse, Diaz then missed multiple court dates resulting in a further count of failing to appear after a written promise.
As recently as August 21st surrendered after a bench warrant was issued for his arrest regarding his missed court appearances and was released on a $25,000 bail.
Diaz is now scheduled to be arraigned on September 25th regarding those charges, while he’s also expected to be arraigned with regards to his latest incident before the end of the month as well.
Last night the UFC issued a statement in which they acknowledged that they were aware of Diaz’s legal troubles.
“We are aware of the situation and are in the process of gathering the facts,” the UFC’s statement read.. “We understand that there is a legal process that will now take place and that Nick Diaz will have the opportunity to address the situation in the near future.”
In addition, Diaz’s agent Lloyd Pierson also gave a statement to FOX Sports regarding his client’s latest arrest.
“Nick and I have discussed the current charges,” Pierson stated. “He is very sorry he has disappointed his fans, friends and family. Nick wants to take the opportunity to thank all his fans who have immediately reached out to him for unconditional support.”
The 31 year-old Diaz had only recently announced his return to the UFC having retired from the sport in March of last year after a unanimous decision loss to the welterweight champion at the time, Georges St.Pierre.
The UFC had tried to convince him to return to the Octagon on several occasions without success since then, but finally the controversial fighter changed his mind and signed a new three-fight deal in July.
The fact that former middleweight champion Anderson Silva had indicated that he was interested in fighting Diaz may have helped grease the wheels, and indeed within days of putting pen to paper it was announced that Diaz would fight Silva at UFC 183 on January 31st in Las Vegas.
If the fight goes ahead it’s almost guaranteed to be a blockbuster pay-per-view event for the UFC, particularly since Silva will be fighting for the first time since breaking his leg in the Octagon late last year.
