UFC 316 star Sean O’Malley once paid homage to fan favorite Nate Diaz in a unique way.
O’Malley will challenge Dvalishvili at UFC 316 on Saturday, as the pair headline the promotion’s latest pay-per-view at Newark’s Prudential Center.
‘Sugar’ has long been seen as among the UFC’s biggest stars, having built his reputation in and out of the Octagon since announcing himself in a huge way with a viral performance on Dana White’s Contender Series.
O’Malley has rarely missed an opportunity to make headlines in the years since, including when he risked the wrath of UFC and FOX by repeating a controversial moment from the younger Diaz brother.
Sean O’Malley paid homage to Nate Diaz by pulling out a joint during UFC broadcast
It’s customary for the UFC to show notable names in the crowd during the broadcast, from active fighters and retired legends to celebrities and other sports stars.
Individuals often keep it simple with a smile and a nod, perhaps a fist pump. Diaz, though, caused a stir while in attendance at UFC Austin in February 2018 when he pulled out a joint.
Personal marijuana use was and remains illegal in the state of Texas, leading many to conclude that the UFC and its then broadcaster, FOX, were likely less than pleased with Diaz’s actions.
For that reason, O’Malley may have played a risky game when he replicated the moment five events later in Arizona. ‘Sugar’ similarly pulled out a joint while being shown on the broadcast alongside teammate Mackenzie Dern.
During a subsequent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, O’Malley described the moment and admitted he had expected some unhappy faces from UFC staff.
“Where they sat us was right in the UFC section, so I figured they would [put me on camera],” O’Malley said. “Eventually they come up to us and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to shoot you guys here in a little bit, we’ll let you know.’ I was like, ‘this is perfect timing.’
“I kept smiling at [UFC official] Heidi [Dean] who had just told us that we’re going to get on camera because I knew that she wasn’t going to be happy with me, but she wasn’t too mad. She was the one who said, ‘Okay, you guys are going to be on camera in 3,2,1,’ and I kept smiling at her but she didn’t know why, but I think she did then.”
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Nate Diaz had another UFC moment involving marijuana
UFC Austin wasn’t the only memorable Diaz moment involving a joint.
The Stockton star also appeared to smoke one during his open workout for UFC 241. Diaz dominated Anthony Pettis at the event in what marked his first fight since losing to Conor McGregor three years prior.
Fans in attendance for the workout loved the moment, but concern did briefly arise about drug testing.
Diaz claimed the joint he was smoking contained cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive cannabinoid in the plant, which he used as promotion for a new company called Game Up Nutrition.
The company’s website noted that products contain less than 0.03 percent, meaning Diaz wouldn’t have come close to reaching the threshold of 150 ng/ml of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in his urine for a failed USADA test.