Nate Diaz will be back in New Orleans next month for a preliminary court hearing.
The ex-UFC star is facing a second-degree battery charge stemming from his involvement in a Bourbon Street brawl last month. Nate Diaz is due in court on June 27 at 3 p.m. local time. If found guilty, he faces up to eight years in prison and/or a $2,000 fine as the battery charge is considered a felony in the state of Louisiana.
In town for a DAZN boxing event, Nate Diaz was observed engaging in multiple altercations throughout the evening. The first came inside the XULA Convocation Centre where the Stockton Samurai was caught on camera chucking a water bottle at reality TV star Chase DeMoor who was sitting behind him. A brief scuffle broke out but was quickly quelled. Outside of the venue, things escalated with DeMoor engaging in an all-out street fight with multiple members of Diaz’s entourage.
Nate Diaz Cites Self-Defense in Brawl Caught on Viral Video
In a now-viral clip, Nate Diaz was seen choking out Rodney Petersen, a trained fighter best known for being the spitting image of influencer and WWE Superstar Logan Paul. In the footage, Diaz rendered Petersen unconscious before allowing his body to drop to the ground, cracking his head against the concrete. A representative for Diaz has since confirmed the fighter intends to challenge the charges, citing self-defense.
“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,” his representative Zach Rosenfield explained in a statement.
After a warrant was issued for his arrest, Nate Diaz turned himself into the authorities in New Orleans. He posted a reported $10,000 bond and was released on his own recognizance.
After 15 years with the UFC, Nate Diaz walked away from the promotion following a fourth-round submission win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279. Diaz is currently scheduled to make his professional boxing debut opposite ‘The Problem Child’ Jake Paul. The two are set to square off at American Airlines Center on August 5 in Dallas.
