The fall of Nick Diaz

This is a defeat for MMA and a huge step back for the sport, but it is a truly dark event because Diaz will be robbed of his passion to deliver not only entertaining but also technically spectacular fights. A Black Belt in Jiu-Jitsu under Cesar Gracie, Diaz's unbelievable endurance is no secret. He swims and competes in mixed martial arts professionally while participating in an average of 6 triathlons in a year.

From surprising the world by knocking out knockout artists like Robbie Lawler and Frank Shamrock and giving "Greatest of all time(s)" in their respective divisions Anderson Silva and GSP a run for their money, Diaz is a legend in his own right.

In retrospect, yes, it is a bummer than the super fight between Silva and Diaz was overturned to be a no-contest after the former tested positive for anabolic steroids. But in all honesty and with all due respect, Silva deserved much harsher treatment than Diaz.

If you could dispute that with logic and not meaningless hate against marijuana, then I would pay heed to your opinion. But any other argument than this, and I'll be convinced that you're a dummy who has bought into the trend that marijuana is an abomination; and as common dummy logic would entail, that it justifies a five-year ban.

Rules do not have justification by virtue of their own existence. Does it really make sense to penalize an athlete for five years, robbing him of the prime years of his life, for using a substance which is not even scientifically proved to be a legitimate PED? The mid-30s to 40s are like the dawn of a fighter's prime into the eventual eve that gracefully wears out the body.

Thanks to NSAC, Diaz will not be spending those years in the octagon.

Diaz has everyone’s respect except for the NSAC

As of now, all of this seems like a wild, unpredictable dream that I wish would just end in a split second. My mind has been befuddled that a mistake that would generally be considered trivial has turned out to have unbelievably life-altering repercussions.

Consider the cases of multiple offenders by steroid use, Vitor Belfort and Alistair "Overoid" Overeem. During both of their hearings, NSAC handed them relatively short suspension letters with such magnanimity as if they were going to ask for their autographs later. Silva's humiliating defense against his steroid use is nothing short of funny either.

It makes little to no sense (depending on your intelligence) to sentence an athlete to a five-year ban from mixed martial arts unless you consider the fact that NSAC had already decided Diaz's fate before he even set foot inside the courtroom. But how much of this wrath Diaz has brought on to himself is a question that people who side with him usually fail to acknowledge.

Diaz has been testing positive for marijuana ever since mammals started walking on two appendages. Some rules are meant to be broken, but it makes sense to break a rule and make a point once and for all. Breaking the same rule throughout his career, Diaz has only tainted his reputation in the aftermath, and nothing more.

The whole conundrum seems to be playing out just like a bad thriller. The punishment that NSAC has unleashed does not really sit well with me unless this happened: The officers in the NSAC are people who actually want to spread the word about decriminalizing weed (before you raise those eyebrows, bear with me), and hence made a huge scene about an athlete testing positive for marijuana so it could garner national attention and could be used as a landmark case for legalization throughout the country.

You can't even come up with an idea so outlandish without ripping that bong apart.

We should thank our lucky stars we had an opportunity to watch this

I know, I know. It has not even been a week since lightning struck. Fans are in mourning. But to tell the truth, there's nothing much a man can do. We may have very well witnessed the end of Nick Diaz's illustrious career, and there is no going back. Unless some unforeseen circumstance alters the course of Diaz's destiny forever, we can only hope for the best, but we had better be prepared for the worst.

Diaz's will not only be remembered as a pothead with a cult-like following, but also an outstanding all-round athlete who inspired a whole generation of MMA fighters around the world.