Former UFC star, Nate Diaz, was arrested by New Orleans police on Thursday morning and booked into custody on charges of felony second-degree battery. The arrest warrant was issued on Monday following a street brawl last weekend after the Misfits Boxing card. Diaz was seen in a viral video being confronted by social media influencer and boxer, Rodney Petersen, on Bourbon Street. Diaz choked Petersen unconscious with a guillotine submission, and when he set him down, the back of Petersen’s head hit the pavement. Petersen later posted a video on social media showing him bleeding from the back of his head.
The Surrender
On Thursday morning, Diaz voluntarily surrendered, along with his attorney, at the New Orleans Police Department Sixth District station. Diaz’s representative, Zach Rosenfield, said that they “continue to look forward to presenting all the evidence and videos that show Nate was acting in self-defense.” Diaz was transported to the Orleans Justice Center and booked. He was later released on a $10,000 bond and is returning to his hometown of Stockton, California.
The Legal Battle
Diaz’s attorney, Walter Becker, plans to present all the facts about the incident to the District Attorney to demonstrate that Petersen aggressively pursued Diaz with the intention of engaging him. Becker maintains that Diaz acted entirely in self-defense. Petersen is 6-foot-4, has amateur MMA experience, is a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and is 1-0 as a pro boxer.
Diaz, one of the most popular fighters in UFC history, left the promotion as a free agent in September. He is scheduled to fight Jake Paul in a big-money boxing match on August 5th in Dallas. There is currently no indication that Diaz’s arrest will affect that fight.
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