Nate Diaz -- winner of Spike TV's "The Ultimate Fighter 5" -- was suspended by the mixed martial arts league for using a homophobic slur on his Twitter account.
Diaz went to the defense of fellow UFC fighter Pat Healy after Healy had a win and $130,000 taken away from him after he tested positive for marijuana use at UFC 159 last month.
In an effort to support Healy, Diaz crossed the line when it comes to inappropriate language and now it seems as though his UFC future is in serious doubt.
I feel bad for pat Healy that they took a innocent mans money and I think the guy who took the money is the biggest F*g in the world ..
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) May 16, 2013
Understandably upset with the poor choice of language from the fighter, UFC President Dana White was originally thinking about punishing Diaz in a way far worse than just a suspension.
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"We are going to fine, suspend, or cut him. One or two of those three will happen," White told MMA Fighting.
Luckily for the 28-year-old Diaz, it appears that for the time being he'll only have to serve White's suspension.
Upset over the situation surrounding his client, Diaz's manager, Mike Kogan, came to the fighter's defense in an effort to clear him of any wrongdoing, although Kogan's words didn't come off as entirely appropriate either.
"He didn't use that word in that sort of (homophobic) context. It's a misunderstanding," Kogan said to FOX Sports. "If people are uneducated, that's not my (expletive) fault. Its slang for being a little bi***. The guy goes on Twitter and chases Dana down like a little f** instead of picking up the phone."
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The comments by both Diaz and Kogan clearly won't sit well with the UFC since they've worked extremely hard at building a solid reputation over the years by affording fans of the sport an opportunity to see some of the best fighters on the planet.
Homophobic slurs by the athletes and their representation clearly don't help, and Dana White hopes it's not a likeness to his league.
"We are very disappointed by Nate Diaz's comments, which are in no way reflective of our organization," White said in a statement to Yahoo Sports.
As Yahoo Sports notes, any insulting language about a person's gender or sexual orientation will lead to athlete punishment, so it shouldn't come as a shock to anyone involved with this situation that Diaz is in the midst of a suspension.
When asked if he thought the fighters' words were misconstrued through the use of social media, Kogan tried to explain the intent of Diaz, saying there was no intention to offend anyone.
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"How people take it is beyond my control," Kogan said to MMA Junkie. "But that's what his intent was. I'm sure people got offended, but how people view it is how people view it. I can't control that. His intent was not to make a derogatory term toward homosexuals."
In 25 career fights since joining the UFC in 2004, Diaz holds a 16-9 record including 3 knockouts.
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