NSAC reduces Nick Diaz's suspension to 18 months

Nick Diaz and the Nevada State Athletic Commission have reached a settlement regarding his five-year suspension.

The NSAC reduced Diaz's ban to 18 months following a hearing Tuesday, while also cutting his $165,000 fine to $100,000, according to Marc Raimondi of MMAFighting.com.

"It was the right thing to do," UFC president Dana White said, according to Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review Journal. "I'm happy for Nick."

Diaz was handed the initial penalties as a result of his third marijuana violation after UFC 183 on Jan. 31, 2015.

The new terms of the punishment render him eligible to fight by August of this year.