Last Friday, MMA fighter Nate Diaz engaged in an altercation with an unnamed man outside a boxing event in New Orleans. The incident ended with Diaz putting the man into a chokehold and rendering him unconscious. Diaz's representative claimed that their client was innocent and acting in self-defense. However, a warrant was issued for Diaz's arrest on Monday.
The fight was the culmination of a tumultuous evening for Diaz, who had gotten into an argument with reality star-turned-boxer Chase DeMoor during the boxing event. After the man fell unconscious, Diaz was seen dropping him to the pavement and walking away. His actions were initially praised by the likes of Dana White and Connor McGregor. However, there has now been a new update in Diaz's case.
Diaz Voluntarily Surrenders To Police
Nate Diaz is now in police custody, according to his representative Zach Rosenfield. Rosenfield told TMZ that Diaz had turned himself in at 7:10am local time Thursday morning. He has since been booked and is being held on a charge of second-degree battery. Rosenfield added that "We continue to look forward to presenting all the evidence and videos that show Nate was acting in self-defense." While Diaz's team claims self-defense, it remains to be seen if the police will deem his response "proportional". After all, Diaz's day job involves choking people into submission, which changes the nature of things slightly. However, no further details were made available at the time of writing.
Diaz, 38, is currently a free agent after declining to re-sign with the UFC last year. His most recent career fight was at UFC 279 in September 2022, where he beat Tony Ferguson. However, Diaz is scheduled to fight Jake Paul in a boxing match this August. That fight would be Diaz's professional boxing debut. It is unlikely that the current legal proceedings would prevent him from competing. Fellow fighter Jorge Masvidal has been able to compete in professional fights following his alleged assault on Colby Covington in March 2022. However, be sure to follow all the updates in Diaz's case here on HotNewHipHop.
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