Former UFC welterweight attraction Nate Diaz is wanted by New Orleans police on suspicion of second-degree battery for his role in the “Big Easy” street fight that left social media personality Rodney Petersen unconscious in the street.
Without knowing the extent of his legal trouble, which could be dismissed without prejudice or could land Diaz in the slammer for up to eight years, future opponent Jake Paul is establishing a Plan B for his boxing return this August in Dallas.
Paul is scheduled to fight Diaz atop the Showtime pay-per-view (PPV) card in “The Lone Star State” and longtime social media rival, KSI, has volunteered to replace Diaz if the Stockton slapper is no longer cleared to compete (or simply bails on the fight).
“Well, if that means Jake won’t have an opponent in August then I’ll gladly come as the replacement after I KO Joe Fournier in May,” KSI wrote on Twitter.
“Great. I accept you as the backup opponent,” Paul responded. “Fight is at 185. There are no rehydration clauses. Stay in shape and we will give you a call if needed. Thanks buddy for being so humble and committed.”
“Lol why don’t you two scared pussies just fight each other in August,” Diaz fired back. “I’ll fight someone who can really fight.”
Paul and Diaz already have contracts to compete and it’s hard to imagine either fighter turning down a potential PPV payday unless the Petersen charges hold up or somehow snowball into something more substantial over the coming weeks.
In addition, the headlines from this past weekend may continue to generate additional interest in their August showdown, leading Twitter fans to speculate that most of the drama in New Orleans was manufactured to promote the upcoming fight.
As of this writing, Diaz remains at large.