Rousey: Marijuana test is invasion of privacy

The hardest punishment ever handed out by a commission in the history of MMA was to Nick Diaz, for marijuana. Very nearly everyone in the sport upset that Diaz has essentially seen his career ended, over a test that is extraordinarily suspicious, for marijuana.

Among the now countless figures speaking out was UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, at a UFC 193 press conference in Melbourne, Australia.

I’m sorry; I know no one asked me anything, but I have to say something, said Rousey as transcribed by Mike Bohn for MMAjunkie. It’s so not right for him to be suspended five years for marijuana. I’m against them testing for any weed at all. It’s not a performance-enhancing drug. It has nothing to do with athletic competition, and it’s only tested for political reasons so they say, ‘Oh, it’s only for your safety so you’re not hurting yourself when you’re out there.’ So why don’t they test for all the other things that could possibly hurt us that we could be under the influence of while we’re out there?

There’s no reason for them to be testing for weed. In athletics, the beautiful thing about it is it separates everything from politics. It shouldn’t be involved at all.”

It’s so unfair if one person tests for steroids that could actually really hurt a person and the other person smokes a plant that makes them happy and he gets suspended for five years, whereas the guy that could hurt someone gets a slap on the wrist. It’s not fair. It’s not fair at all. It doesn’t make me a bad person for saying it, it just – I can’t believe it’s not being said more. I think they really should free Nick Diaz, but it’s not Dana’s decision either.

I don’t think marijuana should be part of the conversation at all. I think it’s an invasion of privacy for them to test for it, and they have no right.

UFC president Dana White was also asked about his thoughts on the five-year suspension and $165,000 dine.

I don’t know enough about the Nick Diaz situation; that happened while we were here, so I don’t really know enough about it, said White. I get home – I’ll get back into the office on Friday and figure out what’s going on with that thing. The answer is: It seems a little rough. It seems a little rough.

I’ve got to get back there and see what the details are and what’s going on. I would imagine if they suspended him for five years and $150,000, it’s more than just the marijuana. That just doesn’t make sense.

It does indeed not make sense.