An Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts fighter has been suspended after he tweeted defending a fellow fighter who lost his bonus as a fine for smoking marijuana, in which he included the word “fag”.

Nate Diaz tweeted the comment about Pat Healy, who was fined $130,000 (£85,600), saying that “the guy who took the money is the biggest Fag in the world..”

Reports suggest that the “guy who took the money”, was another fighter who was awarded a bonus.

The UFC has responded to the incident in a statement, saying: “We are very disappointed by Nate Diaz’s comments, which are in no way reflective of our organization. Nate is currently suspended pending internal investigation and we will provide further comment once the matter has been decided.”

The UFC President Dana White, told MMAFighting.com that the punishment may be more severe than just suspension, as he said: “We are going to fine, suspend or cut him… One or two of those three will happen.”

White was in Germany when the incident happened, but suggested he may address it further when he returns.

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 Fag in the world .. — Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) May 16, 2013

Mike Kogan, Diaz’s manager defended the tweet, saying he did not mean it to be homophobic. He said to MMAJunkie: “Guess what? The word faggot, at least in Northern California, and where Nate is from, means bitch,”

“It means you’re a little punk. It has nothing to do with homosexuals at all. So when Nate made the comment that he made, he didn’t make it in reference to homosexuals or calling Caraway a homosexual. He just said it was a bitch move.

Another fighter Fallon Fox, last month was forced to come out as transgender, following the discovery of her 2006 gender reassignment surgery by reporters.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship recently moved to suspend one of its fighters Matt Mitrione, after he referred to Fox as “a lying, sick, sociopathic, disgusting freak.”