Nate
Diaz opted to turn himself in a few days after the New Orleans
Police Department issued a warrant for his arrest.
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Diaz, 38, presented himself voluntarily and was officially booked
at 7:40 a.m. CT on Thursday. The
Ultimate Fighting Championship alum is facing a charge of
second-degree battery after taking part in a brawl in New Orleans
last weekend when he was recorded chocking amateur mixed martial
arts fighter and YouTube personality Rodney
Petersen Jr. unconscious with a standing choke. When Diaz
released the submission maneuver, the back of Petersen’s head hit
the pavement. On Monday,
an arrest warrant was issued for Diaz, who is facing up to
eight years in prison and a $2,000 fine if found guilty. Shortly
after he surrendered to authorities, Diaz’s representative Zach
Rosenfield released a statement.
“Nate voluntarily turned himself into the New Orleans Police
Department this morning approximately at 7:10 a.m. CT. We continue
to look forward to presenting all the evidence and videos that show
Nate was acting in self-defense.”
According to Rosenfield, Diaz will be free to travel home today
after an agreement to appear for trial was reached.
“Bond has been granted and posted with the full permission from the
court to resume travel which, includes returning to Stockton
(California) today. We appreciate how we were treated by the New
Orleans Police Department, the court and their staff.”
Diaz (21-13) concluded his UFC contract in September, leaving the
company after having piled up a 16-11 promotional record. He is
attached to a boxing matchup with Jake Paul,
which is scheduled in Dallas on Aug. 5. The younger brother of
Nick
Diaz was in New Orleans to support teammate Chris
Avila, who was competing on the Misfits Boxing 6 card. During
the event, the Stockton, California, native also had an altercation
with reality TV star Chase DeMoor as widely-distributed videos show
Diaz throwing a water bottle.