The MMA world exploded with a chorus of support for Nick Diaz last week when the fighter was handed a five-year suspension and fined $165,000 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for testing positive for marijuana.
 
Now, one fighter is putting his words into action.
 
Fifth-ranked flyweight and Olympic wrestling gold medalist Henry Cejudo told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour on Monday that he would turn down a title shot if the fight were to be booked in Nevada.
 
"To me it’s not so much based on success," he said. "As a competitor, I want to compete and I want to accomplish everything, but to me the message here is to do what’s right. Will I become a UFC champion some day? I know I will. Will I do it now? Maybe I don’t have to. Maybe I’m more into protests now for the sake of this man who’s been wrongly processed with this five-year ban. That’s ridiculous." 
 
Diaz was tested three times in a short amount of time leading up to the main event against Anderson Silva at UFC 183 on Jan. 31. Two of his tests came up clean while the third test, registered by a non-WADA third party, was the positive result.

It was the third infraction for Diaz in his UFC tenure, which should have resulted in a 36-month suspension under new protocol.
 
"My immediate reaction was that it was something that was unjust," the 28-year-old Cejudo said. "Throughout the period of 2004 through 2012, I’ve probably been tested about 100 times by USADA [United States Anti-Doping Agency], but never have I run into a case where somebody has been tested three times in the span of probably 12 hours. To me it’s something that’s unjust, and I feel like as an Olympic athlete who’s now a UFC fighter it gives the…I feel like I have his side because I’ve been there before. And not to discount the fact that he passed two tests and the only test that came back negative was a test that wasn’t even credited by WADA."

"To me it was just like, man, I felt like Nick Diaz was targeted from the get-go. And I just can’t sit there and let this man be suspended for five years. I can’t even live with myself, because I’ve been through this process from the age of 17 to the age of 26."

Cejudo is set to face No. 3 flyweight Jussier Formiga at The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 2 Finale on Nov. 21 and, after Demetrious Johnson disposed of John Dodson at UFC 191 in Vegas, the winner of the bout could be in line for a shot at gold.

If Cejudo wins, his title shot might have to wait if the UFC wants to book Johnson in Vegas for the third time in his last four fights.

"I’m just here to take a step for my personal view, and I just couldn’t do it," Cejudo said. "Even if that means leaving the belt on the line and leaving somebody else to fight whoever has that belt at that time, I’m willing to do that. I’m willing to show the type of person with the type of character that I am."