The UFC suspended lightweight fighter Nate Diaz on Wednesday for tweeting a homophobic slur about fellow fighter Bryan Caraway.
Fighter Pat Healy recently tested positive for marijuana. It cost him $130,000 in bonuses from UFC 159, including $65,000 for having the best submission of the night, according to ESPN. The submission bonus went instead to Caraway. Diaz, a five-time winner of the Submission of the Night award, didn't like that.
The UFC maintains in their code and conduct policy the right to discipline fighters for "derogatory or offensive conduct, including sexual orientation." The organization reacted quickly to Diaz's tweet on Wednesday and suspended Diaz indefinitely.
"We are very disappointed by Nate Diaz's comments, which are in no way reflective of our organization," the UFC said in a release. "Nate is currently suspended pending internal investigation and we will provide further comment once the matter has been decided."
Mike Kogan, Diaz's manager, tried to defend his fighter's tweet, according to Yahoo! Sports.
"Guess what? The word [expletive], at least in Northern California, and where Nate is from, means (expletive)," he said. "It means you're a little punk. It has nothing to do with homosexuals at all. So when Nate made the comment that he made, he didn't make it in reference to homosexuals or calling Caraway a homosexual. He just said it was a (expletive) move."
There has been no word from Diaz since his suspension.
Diaz, 28, won the Ultimate Fighter 5 in 2007. He boasts a 16-9 record in the UFC, including 11 wins by submission.
