Ex-UFC Title Challenger Nate Diaz Dodges Legal Action For April Street Brawl
Former UFC title challenger Nate Diaz won’t face charges for an altercation in New Orleans last April where he choked a man unconscious.
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Diaz was in New Orleans in April to support his teammate and fellow UFC veteran Chris Avila, who was scheduled to take on Paul Bamba as part of Misfits Boxing 6. Avila defeated Bamba via unanimous decision, but Diaz’s altercation with Logan Paul lookalike Rodney Peterson after the event generated far more significant headlines.
The viral footage of the encounter showed Peterson approach Diaz in a seemingly confrontational manner before the former UFC title challenger locked up a choke and dropped him to the sidewalk.
There was significant concern that Diaz might face legal action for the encounter after Peterson claimed he'd suffered a head injury, but according to MMA Fighting his representative Zach Rosenfield has revealed that the Orleans Parish District Attorney ruled it was an act of self-defense.
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"Today, the Orleans Parish District Attorney informed us they will not be pursuing a case against Nate Diaz...Nate has a right to defend himself against those who want to make a name for themselves and did so. We appreciate the Orleans Parish District Attorney taking the time to review all aspects of this case and their decision to not proceed with it." - From Rosenfield's statement to MMA Fighting.
The altercation in April was the first ‘action’ Diaz had seen since he submitted Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 279 and left the promotion as a free agent. The 38-year-old made his pro boxing debut in August against Jake Paul and lost a unanimous decision, but he did have a bit of fun late in the fight when he jokingly threatened to secure a guillotine choke on Paul.
Avoiding any charges from the brawl in New Orleans should free Diaz up to plot his next combat sports outing, but at the moment it’s unclear what exactly that may be. The UFC veteran still has a standing offer from Paul to do a rematch in the PFL, but so far Diaz hasn’t seemed interested in meeting the 26-year-old in an MMA bout.
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