Apr 24, 2023

The New Orleans Police Department issued an arrest warrant Monday for former UFC star Nate Diaz on suspicion of second-degree battery, police spokesperson Karen Boudrie confirmed to ESPN.

Diaz is not in custody, Boudrie said.

Diaz was involved in a brawl last week on Bourbon Street following a Misfits boxing card in the city. A video that surfaced on social media over the weekend appeared to show Diaz choking YouTube personality Rodney Petersen unconscious in the middle of a melee with several others.

Boudrie said police officers were alerted to a "large altercation" on the 400 block of Bourbon Street at around 2:10 a.m. Saturday morning. According to Boudrie, witnesses alerted police to a white male who was believed to be unconscious. He regained consciousness and officers observed the man "bleeding from the rear of his head," Boudrie said. EMS was called to aid the man.

"After investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for Nate Diaz," Boudrie said. "He has been charged with second-degree battery."

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Diaz's attorney, Walter Becker, confirmed that Diaz "received word of the arrest warrant," Diaz representative Zach Rosenfield said in a statement. "Becker has been in contact with court authorities in New Orleans."

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," the statement continued.

Petersen, who is known for his resemblance to fellow influencer Logan Paul, could be seen in the video confronting Diaz with people fighting on all sides. Petersen appeared to engage with Diaz, who locked Petersen in a guillotine choke submission standing up until Petersen was unconscious. Diaz then let Petersen drop to the street below, where Petersen hit his head on the pavement.

Petersen posted a video to social media Saturday that showed the head injury.

"I don't know what the hell I did to Nate Diaz," Petersen said in the video. "But I'm telling you what, I'm gonna knock him the f--- out when I know he's coming. You caught me off guard, dude. What did you think I was, Logan?"

Diaz, who departed the UFC last year after fighting out of his contract, is scheduled to face YouTuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul, brother of Logan, in a big-money boxing grudge match Aug. 5 in Dallas.

Like the Paul brothers and Diaz, the 6-foot-4 Petersen also has combat sports experience. He is 1-0 as a pro boxer, has a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has fought in MMA several times as an amateur, according to online records.

Diaz was at the event to support his longtime teammate Chris Avila, who competed on the Misfits card, defeating Paul Bamba. Diaz got into an altercation at the venue earlier in the night with Chase DeMoor, a reality show star who fought on the card. Diaz threw a water bottle at DeMoor and the two were separated. DeMoor said in a video posted to Twitter on Sunday that Diaz and his team jumped him after the fights.

A request for comment from Diaz's team was not immediately returned Monday.