The mixed martial arts community collectively gasped when they learned that former UFC welterweight title contender Nick Diaz was arrested on suspicion of DUI earlier this month, potentially putting his superfight with former longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva in jeopardy.
UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta spoke with ESPN earlier today to assuage everyone’s fears, and mentioned that he does not believe Diaz’s most recent arrest will have any effect on his scheduled clash with Anderson.
“We’re going to find out more when [Diaz] has his court date,” Fertitta told ESPN. “I don’t necessarily think, and this is me personally, the charges would prevent the fight from happening. I’ve never seen a situation where a commission didn’t license someone to fight because of a DUI.”
As for the UFC potentially punishing Diaz for violating the code of conduct, Fertitta mentioned that he will let due process play out before making any decisions.
“Look, clearly it’s a potential violation of our code of conduct,” Fertitta continued. “It’s something we have to sit down and take a look at, but I can’t make any decisions or rush to judgement until this thing kind of plays out. That’s why the legal system is there. If we start handing down decisions before we know the facts, it’s not a good situation.”
As of now, it looks like Nick Diaz vs Anderson Silva is still a go for UFC 183 in January.
