NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 02: Nate Diaz of the United States fights against Jorge Masvidal of the United States in the Welterweight "BMF" championship bout during UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden on November 02, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
Nate Diaz’s legal trouble may not affect his boxing fight scheduled for Jake Paul over the summer.
The mixed martial artist will move forward with his fight with Paul and a press conference is scheduled for May 9, reports the Boxing Scene.
That comes despite a video that leaked over the weekend of Diaz choking a man, who has been identified as Rodney Petersen, unconscious.
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The action has resulted in the New Orleans Police Department sending out a warrant for Diaz’s arrest for alleged second-degree battery.
However, Diaz is claiming self-defense.
“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,” Zach Rosenfield, a representative for Diaz said in a statement to TMZ Sports.
“Nate’s attorney looks forward to presenting all of the facts about this incident to the District Attorney which clearly demonstrates 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.”
As the fight will reportedly move forward, Paul has agreed to have fellow YouTuber Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji, also known as KSI serve as the backup fighter.
KSI previously fought Paul’s brother Logan twice. One was scored a draw and the other gave KSI the nod with a split decision.
But Diaz didn’t take too kindly to Paul agreeing to fight KSI if it comes down to that.
“Lol why Dont u to scared p***ys just fight each other [in] august [and] I’ll fight someone who can really fight.”
Diaz, of course, is known for his UFC career and was one of the most recognizable names in the sport.
While it’s unclear if he will ever return to the Octagon, he owns a 22-13 record in the UFC.
He has fought Conor McGregor twice, where the two are 1-1 against each other.
McGregor has stated multiple times that the trilogy between him and Diaz will happen one day to settle the score.
However, Diaz is set for a payday in boxing against one of the biggest draws in the sport.
Diaz is scheduled to fight Paul on Saturday, August 5.
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