Twenty-four hours after a warrant was issued for his arrest, MMA fighter Nate Diaz is claiming self-defense in a recent brawl in New Orleans.
Diaz is wanted on a second-degree battery charge after he allegedly put somebody in a chokehold, knocking him out cold.
The 38-year-old attended a Misfits Boxing event to support his friend, Chris Avila.
Afterward, the MMA fighter appeared to get into an altercation with YouTube personality Rodney Petersen, who bares a striking resemblance to Logan Paul.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Nate Diaz prepares to fight Tony Ferguson in a welterweight fight during UFC 279 at T-Mobile Arena Sept. 10, 2022, in Las Vegas. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
In a video, Diaz is seen grabbing somebody and putting him in a chokehold while kneeing him in the ribs. A few seconds later, the victim was asleep on the ground.
Diaz is claiming that he was acting in self-defense.
Nate Diaz attends UFC 285 at T-Mobile Arena March 4, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
“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.
“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.”
Diaz was caught in an exchange of words prior to the street brawl during the event. He launched a water bottle at a heckler just a few rows behind him.
Nate Diaz arrives prior to the UFC 279 ceremonial weigh-in at MGM Grand Garden Arena Sept. 9, 2022, in Las Vegas. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
UFC SUPERSTAR JORGE MASVIDAL SHARES WHY HE’S NOT AFRAID TO TALK POLITICS IN THE OCTAGON
“I don’t know what the hell I did to Nate Diaz,” Petersen said. “But I’m telling you what, I’m going to knock him the f— out when I know he’s coming. You caught me off guard, dude. What did you think I was, Logan?”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Diaz is scheduled to fight Logan’s brother, Jake, in a boxing match Aug. 5.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
