What UFC Fighter, Nate Diaz, Says About CBD

What UFC Fighter, Nate Diaz, Says About CBD

Stockton, CA is one of he last bastions of the wild wild West. It can be a desolate stretch of expanse, one that for some, only promises broken dreams and pain. For them, the anthem of Stockton, CA is the broken yet alert voice that calls out from under the bridge by the Amtrak station during a layover, a lilting addict’s plea that calls out, “pipa?”. Now, one may think, drawing further and further away from the station, I don’t have that kind of pipe on me. Some places have a reputation, and sometimes, despite constant judgement, excellence will rise above and overcome.

This chaotic hellscape is Stockton, CA distilled, boiled down and splashed in the eyes of Nate Diaz at a UFC press conference. Twin pools of willful, practiced defiance. The topic of conversation has yet again turned to drug use within the sport. Reporters shout questions, garbled yelps that coalesce into one all-consuming roar.

It is concentrated chaos directed squarely at the veteran UFC fighter, and for a brief fraction of a second everything goes silent. Then he takes out a vape pen, filled with precious CBD oil, and blows a fat cloud. The crowd erupts. One reporter asks what exactly he is smoking. He’s not actually smoking, but vaping is still new to some, and they don’t understand the difference yet. Diaz picks up the vape pen and says, “It’s CBD. It helps with the healing process, the inflammation and stuff like that. You want to do this before and after a fight, during training, it will make your life a better place.”

Unlike many controversial actions in the past, this show of defiance was not simply for the sake of rebellion. Diaz is a very vocal proponent of CBD oil treatment for a variety of afflictions. In the case of Diaz himself, this magical oil has been found to treat his inflammation, a common problem that many athletes across the playing field have had to deal with at some point in their careers. On this night, during this press conference, Diaz is using it to treat some pretty extensive injuries sustained during his fight with Conor McGregor. The authorities involved with sniffing out doping scandals seem to have their work cut out for them, but Diaz doesn’t seem to care much for them. He doesn’t have anything to hide. CBD is not “pot”. It’s not “marijuana”.

The logic behind Diaz’ brazen CBD treatment is pretty easy to understand. The cannabinoid, differing from THC like the contrast between night and day, is non-narcotic and absolutely therapeutic. The benefits are strictly medicinal, making the compound a healthy long term alternative to pharmaceuticals such as Aspirin and Naproxen. Thanks to the aid of CBDs for body recovery, Nate Diaz lives on to fight another day, possibly for another title somewhere further down the time line. Check out this YouTube video for some interesting insight to not only what Diaz did in front of cameras, but how it prompted good change in the USADA rule book.