An arrest warrant has been issued for former UFC star Nate Diaz by the New Orleans Police Department on Monday, according to ESPN. Diaz has been charged with second-degree battery after getting into an altercation on Bourbon Street last week. Police spokesperson Karen Boudrie told ESPN that Diaz is currently not in custody.
A video surfaced on social media over the weekend that appeared to show Diaz choking YouTube personality Rodney Petersen unconscious during the brawl. As police arrived on the scene, the man who appeared to be Petersen regained consciousness and the officers discovered noticed the man was “bleeding from the rear of his head.”
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Zach Rosenfield, Diaz’s representative, issued a written statement to MMA Junkie confirming that Diaz had been in contact with authorities after the warrant was issued on Monday. “Nate’s attorney, Walter Becker, can confirm that Nate has received word of the arrest warrant, and Becker has been in contact with court authorities in New Orleans,” Rosenfield said. “Nate’s attorney looks forward to presenting all of the facts about this incident to the District Attorney, which clearly demonstrate that a trained fighter named Rodney Petersen aggressively pursued Nate with the intention of engaging him and once doing so, Nate acted entirely in self-defense. No further comment will be made at this time.”
Peterson, who is also known for resembling Logan Paul, posted a video to social media Saturday to reveal his head injury. “I don’t know what the hell I did to Nate Diaz,” Petersen said in the video. “But I’m telling you what, I’m gonna knock him the f— out when I know he’s coming. You caught me off guard, dude. What did you think I was, Logan?”
Diaz, 38, exited UFC last year after fighting out his contract. His last match was in September when he defeated Tony Ferguson at UFC 279. Diaz’s career mixed martial arts record of 21-13 and has notable wins over Donald Cerrone and Conor McGregor. In his UFC career, Diaz won The Ultimate Fighter 5, earned Fight of the Night eight times and Submission of the Night five times. His next fight will be on Aug. 5 when he faces Jake Paul, the brother of Logan Paul, in a boxing match.
