Diaz Out, Taylor To Face Hieron

by Robert Sargent

In yet another late change to the card, Nick Diaz will not be competing against Jay Hieron at Strikeforce: "Carano vs Cyborg" this Saturday after failing to show up for a pre-fight drug test. Jesse Taylor will now take his place.

The fight, which was originally set to be contested for the newly-created Strikeforce Welterweight Championship, will now be a non-title bout.

This marks the second time in less than three weeks that Hieron has had a fight changed at the last minute. First set to battle British knockout artist Paul "Semtex" Daley at Affliction: "Trilogy," Hieron was left without a fight after the promotion folded.

After Joe "Diesel" Riggs was forced to withdraw from the Strikeforce title fight with Diaz, Hieron received a golden opportunity to replace Riggs. However, now that Diaz is out, the title will no longer be on the line. Hieron will instead face TUF alum Taylor, who is coming off of a victory over Dong Sik Yoon at Dream.10 in Japan. Taylor has won seven straight fights, while Hieron, the final IFL Welterweight Champion, has won seven of his last eight.


Diaz failed to show up for his scheduled pre-fight drug test on August 7th and his representatives did not set up a replacement time to take the test today. Diaz's trainer and coach, Cesar Gracie, said that Diaz had been caught off-guard by a change in policy from that of former California State Athletic Commission Executive Officer Armando Garcia.

Gracie claimed that Diaz had had an agreement with Garcia that Diaz would only be tested for marijuana and other unapproved substances on the nights of his fights. This was due to Diaz having a legal medical prescription for marijuana to treat a form of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Gracie claimed that the CSAC had changed the policy and only given them two days' notice, which left Diaz without any plausible options.


As a result, Taylor now gets a chance to shine as he battles Hieron in what will likely determine one half of a future bout for the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship. The winner may still face Diaz at a later date, as Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has stated that there will be no issues with promoting Diaz in future fights.

Despite all of the changes, "Carano vs Cyborg" is still an excellent card and remains as the most talent-laden event in Strikeforce history.