

Nate Diaz may have suffered a crushing loss at the hands of Conor McGregor over the weekend’s UFC 202 event, but he scored a major victory for medical cannabis awareness during his post-match interviews.

The scrappy fighter from Stockton, CA was seen vaporizing a cannabidiol (CBD) oil cartridge in several interviews following the main event, reports MMA Junkie.

Unlike traditional cannabis smoked for its psychedelic THC content, CBD is used as a medicine for physical pain and trauma, which Diaz explained to reporters.

“It’s CBD,” Diaz said. “It helps with the healing process and inflammation and things like that, so you want to get these for before or after the fights, in training. It’ll make your life a better place.”

Diaz is one of many athletes advocating for the use of cannabis as a healthier alternative to opioid painkillers, including several former NFL players such as Ricky Williams and Eugene Monroe, as well as Diaz’s brother and fellow fighter Nick Diaz, who has a record of suspensions due to testing positive for marijuana.

Unlike his brother, however, Nate will likely avoid a suspension since he saved his CBD oil until after the fight.

“Assuming Nate Diaz provided a post bout sample to the NSAC (assuming they wished to collect one) before vaping and assuming that sample comes back negative, then this escapade will not amount to an NSAC anti-doping violation,” says combat-sports lawyer Erik Magraken of combatsportslaw.com. “Interestingly, if USADA wishes to collect a sample in the hours following the vaping, depending on the substance being ingested, Nate’s choice may prove problematic.”

Watch Diaz’s post-fight vape session in the video below.