Nate Diaz Claims He Is Out of UFC 244 Headliner After Failed Drug Test

Your all on steroids not me pic.twitter.com/ykrZmRIoPS

— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) October 24, 2019

UFC 244 has taken a massive hit, as Nate Diaz has claimed he is out of his main event bout with Jorge Masvidal.

On his social media on Thursday, Diaz (20-11) posted that he will not be competing at UFC 244 due to "elevated levels" from potentially tainted supplements. The two men were slated to headline the promotion's return to Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 2. According to Daily Star Sport, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has reportedly prepared itself for a potential issue by keeping top-ranked welterweight Leon Edwards prepped and ready to step in if needed. Despite this, a replacement has not yet been named, and Masvidal responded to Diaz' post by stating that he will "still see" Diaz on Nov. 2.

In his post, Diaz wrote the following:

"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 tainted supplements. I call false on that cause I only take Whole Food[s] or natural food supplements. I don't even eat meat. So until UFC, USADA or whomever is F*CKING with me Fixes it, I won't be competing.

I’m not gonna play their game and try to hide it or keep [quiet], as they suggested. I'm not gonna have my name tainted as a cheater like these other motherf*ckers who keep [quiet] until after the fight just so that they can get paid. F*ckin cheaters.

I don't give a f*ck about some money over my dignity and my legacy. I'm not playing along with this bullsh*t. I'm not staying [quiet] and figuring it out after the fight. That's cheating. So fight game I'll see you when I see you. Sincerely, the realest baddest mother f*cker in the game."

The welterweights were set to vie for the newly minted one-off "BMF" belt, which would have been created for this fight, and reportedly cost upwards of $50,000. The opinion on the nature of this matchup, specifically the title made for such an occasion, was split among the MMA community as both relatively positive and negative. Regardless of the belt on the line, there were many who were intrigued instead by the fight itself.