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It’s quite possible that the most notable fighting event this weekend didn’t take place inside a cage or a ring at all. Nate Diaz was one of a number of celebrities on hand for the Misfits Boxing event that went down in New Orleans, LA this past weekend, where former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell made the second appearance of his budding boxing career, against YouTuber Joel Morris (aka JMX). Bell ended up winning their bout by unanimous decision, but was quickly overshadowed by what happened next.
Earlier on the event’s undercard, reality TV celeb Chase DeMoor got DQ’d during his fight with Stevie Knight. After dropping Knight to the canvas, DeMoor continued to rain down blows on his foe, prompting the referee to wave off the contest. Later in the evening, he returned to the arena where a verbal exchange seemingly prompted Nate Diaz to turn and launch a water bottle at him that touched off a brawl where security had to intervene.
Whether an extension of that earlier incident, or just a whole new heap of trouble, Nate Diaz found himself in the middle of things after the card as well, with a brawl at a bar that spilled out into the street. This time around Diaz, however, was squaring up with a more familiar foe—or at least one who looked more familiar—Logan Paul lookalike Rodney Peterson.
Did Nate Diaz know he was only facing a facsimile and not the real thing? Was the mist of battle filling his eyes? Peterson certainly didn’t appear to want any smoke from the former UFC title contender, but found himself in a front headlock, getting put to sleep on the concrete nonetheless.
NOLA police have issued a warrant for Nate Diaz’s arrest
In a statement to MMA Fighting, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) spokesperson Karen A. Boudrie confirmed reports that a warrant had been issued for Nate Diaz on charges of 2nd degree felony battery.
“There has been an arrest warrant issued — he is not in custody,” the NOPD spokesperson told the outlet.
An officer was reportedly on the scene of the altercation, but failed to see the incident between Diaz and Peterson at the time it occurred. Boudrie told MMA Fighting that Diaz’s arrest was a direct result of videos from the incident collected through social media and other avenues. According to state law, if found guilty, Diaz could face a sentence of up to eight years in prison and/or a fine of $2,000.
Peterson claims head injury as a direct result of Diaz assault
Video from the incident shows a man who, by all appearances seems to be Nate Diaz being approached by a man appearing to be Peterson. The man appearing to be Peterson has his hands up, seemingly trying to diffuse the situation, but the two tie up anyway. The Diaz-esque figure gets an arm over his foe’s head, locks up the choke, and squeezes until the man is unconscious—then releasing him, unceremoniously, onto the concrete where his head appears to hit the ground hard.
“So I don’t know what the hell I did to Nate Diaz,” Peterson said, in a video posted to social media after the fight. “But I’ll telling you what. I’m going to knock him the f-ck out when I know he’s coming. You caught me off guard, dude. Did you think I was Logan? What the f-ck?”
Peterson then turns around, briefly, to show a bloody patch on the back of his head, likely a direct result of the incident.
Diaz scheduled to fight Jake Paul in August
Nate Diaz was originally at the event to support his longtime teammate and fellow former UFC figher Chris Avila. Avila took on celebrity boxing and fitness trainer Paul Bamba in the Misfits Boxing co-main event, winning that bout via four-round unanimous decision.
Diaz is set to make his own boxing debut on August 5th at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX. He’ll be taking on celebrity boxing’s biggest star, Jake Paul in an 8-round bout. Despite his years of boxing training, Diaz has competed exclusively in MMA as a professional over his 19-year combat sports career. He had been briefly connected to a bout with Logan Paul earlier this year, but negotiations for the fight apparently fell through at the 11th hour.
No word yet on how this current situation might impact Diaz’s fight booking, but it has to be imagined that he’ll still be in the ring in August as long as he’s not facing serious jail time.
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