Nate Diaz is claiming self-defense after an altercation with a Logan Paul look-a-like landed him in hot water with the New Orleans Police Department.
The former UFC star was in town on Friday night for the DAZN Misfits 006 boxing event at the XULA Convocation Centre. Multiple video clips emerged online throughout the evening, the first showing Diaz chucking a water bottle at reality TV star Chase DeMoor inside the venue. The incident incited a brief scuffle that was quickly contained. However, once outside, all hell broke loose with DeMoor engaging in a street fight with multiple men believed to be part of Nate Diaz’s entourage.
In a clip that has since gone viral, the Stockton Samurai can be seen choking out Rodney Petersen, a YouTube personality known best for being a Logan Paul doppelganger, during the Bourbon Street brawl.
Former UFC Superstar Nate Diaz catches some dude in a Ninja Choke and puts him to Sleep during a Street Fight last night…
[@PaulLABamba] pic.twitter.com/ZmPcW3pBAu
— Fight Haven (@FightHaven) April 22, 2023
Representatives of Nate Diaz Respond to the Charges Levied Against Him
On Monday, New Orleans PD spokesperson Karen Boudrie confirmed that a warrant had been issued for Nate Diaz. Officially charged with second-degree battery, the Ultimate Fighter alumnus faces up to eight years in prison if convicted and/or a $2,000 fine. Zach Rosenfield, a representative for Diaz, revealed in a statement sent to MMA Fighting that an attorney on behalf of the Stockton native has been in contact with the police department noting that they intend to cooperate with the investigation while also claiming that their client acted in self-defense.
“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,” Diaz’s representative Zach Rosenfield said in a statement.
“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.”
Rodney Peterson, the man Nate Diaz rendered unconscious, later posted a video on social media, giving viewers a look at the blood-soaked mass of hair on the back of his head after violently hitting the ground during the altercation.