Nate Diaz lights a joint during his training session

Sportsman Nate Diaz made a show of smoking a joint before a training session open to the public last week at Honda Center, as the 34-year-old prepared for his Saturday night fight with Anthony Pettis. The controversial UFC star took a few puffs, while doing some shadowboxing (an exercise in boxing in the void while imagining one's opponent) in front of the hundreds of fans gathered for the occasion. Seconds later, Diaz handed the joint to his cameraman, who then passed it around to spectators in the front row, who smoked it in turn.

Nate Diaz (@NateDiaz209) just sparked a joint at the open workouts!

(@ThisIsShak | #UFC241) pic.twitter.com/FN78DoildV

- MMA Mania (@mmamania) August 15, 2019

It's not the first time the sportsman has flaunted his cannabis habit. Diaz had previously vaped CBD at post-fight press conference against Conor McGregor in 2016. USADA, had issued him a public warning against the use of cannabis in competition, but has since changed its regulations.

Diaz later declared that he smoked cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabis plant extract with no psychoactive properties. CBD acts as an analgesic and also fights inflammation, among other things. It has become very popular with MMA professionals. In any case, even if Diaz had indeed smoked THC on Wednesday, (as many spectators thought he would), and had tested positive for doping in competition this weekend, the consequences would have been rather minimal. USADA, the UFC's anti-doping entity, has suspensions ranging from three to six months for positive cannabis tests. By comparison, suspensions for anabolic steroids can last up to two years. But there's no need to worry, as Nate Diaz has so far never tested positive for THC.

What's more, sports groups are more open to the possible uses of cannabis for pain relief. UFC recently signed a partnership with Aurora Cannabis and will test the use of CBD with volunteer athletes at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas.