Ronda Rousey Bashes Athletic Commission For Nick Diaz Suspension, Says Marijuana Testing Invades Privacy

Needless to say, Ronda Rousey isn’t happy about the Nevada Athletic Commission’s ruling to suspend Nick Diaz for five years.

On Monday, Diaz was handed down a five-year suspension for his third failed drug test in relation to marijuana. The Nevada Athletic Commission, who handed down the suspension, has come under heavy fire from media, fighters, and fans alike.

UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey appeared at a press conference in Australia Wednesday to promote her upcoming fight with Holly Holm at UFC 193. During the press conference, she let her opinion on the matter be known.

Rousey told the Australian crowd that she opposes state athletic commissions testing for marijuana at all, because she doesn’t consider it a performance enhancing drug. Rousey also called even testing for the drug an “invasion of privacy.”

“It’s so not right for him to be suspended five years for marijuana,” Rousey said at the press conference. “I’m against them testing for weed at all. It’s not a performance-enhancing drug. It has nothing to do with athletic competition. It’s only tested for political reasons. They say, ‘Oh, it’s only for your safety to keep you from hurting yourself because you’re out there.’ Why don’t they test for all of the other things that could possibly hurt us?”

Rousey cited her friendship with the troubled Diaz as a motivating factor for her passion on the subject but stated that it goes further than that. She mentioned that offenders who fail drug tests for steroids often get off a lot easier when it comes to disciplinary action.

“Nick is a very close and dear friend of mine, so of course I’m going to defend him, but it’s so unfair if one person tests for steroids that could actually hurt a person and the other person smokes a plant that makes him happy and he gets suspended for five years,” Rousey said.

Rousey is likely referring to the fact that Nick Diaz’s UFC 183 opponent Anderson Silva failed both pre and post-fight drug tests for steroids and was only given a one-year suspension. It’s worth noting, however, that this was Silva’s first infraction, and Diaz’s third.

Rousey has never run into issues with an athletic commission as it pertains to a drug test, but UFC color commentator Joe Rogan did mention on a previous podcast with Rousey that the two may have smoked weed together in the past.

[Image Via Kevin Winter/Getty Images Sports]