Nate Diaz turns himself in, posts bond and goes home after alleged brawl in New Orleans
MMA star Nate Diaz turned himself in Thursday after his alleged involvement in a physical altercation outside of a New Orleans bar on April 21.
Police issued the warrant for the Stockton, California, native’s arrest Monday, under suspicion of second-degree battery, a police spokesperson told MMA Fighting. The charge, a felony in Louisiana, can carry a potential penalty of up to eight years in prison and/or a maximum of $2,000 fine.
Diaz and his attorney arrived at the New Orleans Police Department Sixth District station Thursday morning and surrendered, police spokesperson Karen Boudrie said via ESPN. After he was transported to the Orleans Justice Center and booked, he posted a $10,000 bond.
“Bond has been granted and posted with the full permission from the court to resume travel which includes returning to Stockton today," the fighter's representative, Zach Rosenfield, wrote in a statement. "We appreciate how we were treated by the New Orleans Police Department, the court and their staff.”
Diaz was in New Orleans to watch longtime teammate Chris Avila at Misfits Boxing 6 on Friday.
He was allegedly seen on video choking out social media influencer Rodney Peterson in a brawl outside of a bar in New Orleans on Friday night. Peterson, who is heard being mistaken for YouTuber Logan Paul in a video of the altercation, was dropped to the ground unconscious after Diaz allegedly kneed him and put him in a chokehold.
‼️ Nate Diaz choking a man out in a street fight after attending his teammate Chris Avila’s fight on the Misfits Boxing show in New Oreleans last night…
[🎥 @PaulLABamba] pic.twitter.com/3sgu3Fac6F— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) April 22, 2023
Peterson is 1-0 as a pro boxer. He has a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and amateur MMA experience. He later took to social media to show the head injury he said he sustained in the fight.
Tuesday, Rosenfield wrote in a statement that attorney Walter Becker "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."
Diaz, a free agent, is popular for his time in the UFC. He is scheduled to face YouTuber-turned-fighter Jake Paul on Aug. 5 in Dallas. It's unclear whether his ongoing legal proceedings will interfere with that fight.
