Nate Diaz Still Scheduled to Fight Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244 Despite Drug Test Announcement

Nate Diaz announced on Thursday he was pulling out of UFC 244 due to a recent drug test taken which showed elevated levels that could have been from a tainted substance. However, UFC is not calling off the match between the two, at least not yet. Ariel Helwani of ESPN was recently on SportsCenter to reveal that the UFC has not called off the match between Diaz and Jorge Masvidal, so the fight is still a go until the UFC says it isn't.

"As of right this moment, the UFC 244 main event between Nathan Diaz and Jorge Masvidal is not off. It is not canceled and as of right this moment, Nathan Diaz is not provisionally suspended. So that means the fight, as of right this second, is still a go. But there is a drug test that did come up with some adverse findings," Helwani said via MMA News.

Diaz went to Twitter to make the announcement and made the decision because he did not want to get suspended after the fight on Nov. 2.

"I'm not gonna make it out to NYC for fight week next week because they say I tested with elevated levels that they say might be from some tainted supplements. I call false on that cause I only take Whole Food or natural food supplements," Diaz wrote.

"I don't even eat meat. So until UFC, USADA or whoever is f—ing with me fixed it, I won't be competing. I'm not gonna play their game and try to hide it or keep quiet, as they suggested."

ESPN reported Diaz "tested positive for trace amounts of a prohibited selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM)." The USADA, the UFC's anti-doping partner, has not suspended Diaz as of now.

"UFC and USADA are gathering information and will issue a statement as soon as possible," USADA spokesperson Adam Woullard told ESPN.

Diaz returned to action in August after taking three years off. He defeated Anthony Pettis at UFC 241 and after the match, he explained why he took time off after his last fight in 2016.

"The reason I was off was because everybody sucks," Diaz said to UFC commentator Joe Rogan "There was nobody to fight. With this belt, I want to defend it against… Jorge Masvidal had a good last fight, good last fight. All respect to the man, but there ain't no gangsters in this game anymore. There ain't nobody who does it right but me and him. So I know my man's a gangster, but he ain't no West Coast gangster."