UFC stars Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal are set to face off against each other in a boxing match on June 1. However, things took an odd turn on Friday as reports indicate Diaz is facing a lawsuit.
Diaz is being sued over an alleged street fight incident in New Orleans back in April 2023, according to TMZ. Although that may be the case, Nate Diaz's representation finds the whole situation “laughable.”
“Nate Diaz is being sued by a man in Louisiana who says the MMA legend beat him up and injured him during a street fight in New Orleans last year, TMZ Sports has learned … a lawsuit Diaz's people believe is literally laughable.”
The UFC fan favorite is being sued by a man by the name of Rodney Petersen. Petersen is an amateur fighter himself, however, he claims he sustained injuries from Nate Diaz during that alleged incident in New Orleans.
“Petersen claims Diaz, unprovoked, attacked him, choking him unconscious, and causing his to hit his head on the concrete ground, where he says he suffered a head injury. The exact nature of the injury isn't specified.”
For now, it's not clear what injuries were sustained. Additionally, it's unknown how much money Petersen is seeking. With that said, TMZ reports that their sources close to Nate Diaz believe the video proves Diaz was the one who was attacked and not the other way around.
“In fact, our Diaz sources feel video from the incident in question proves Nate was minding his own business when Petersen approached him, and the future UFC Hall of Famer was forced to defend himself during the brawl, which occurred after a Misfits Boxing event in NOLA.”
Nate Diaz was charged with second-degree battery over the incident when it initially happened. However, those charges were eventually dropped. The UFC Hall of Famer has routinely claimed he was acting in self defense.
We'll see how it plays out. But based on how Diaz's camp is reacting to the lawsuit, the veteran UFC fighter probably isn't stressing out about it too much right now. Instead, his attention is likely more on Jorge Masvidal.
Nate Diaz's chances against Jorge Masvidal
Diaz has gone 2-3 in his last five UFC fights. He also lost to Jake Paul by unanimous decision in their boxing match that took place in August 2023. Despite that, Nate Diaz has found a way to make his fights exciting enough to win fans over. So, it'll be interesting to see how he fares against Jorge Masvidal.
As of now, Masvidal is the betting favorite, according to AJ Salah of Covers. Jorge Masvidal is favored at -300 while Nate Diaz is the +240 underdog. There is plenty of time between now and the June 1 fight. So, the odds can certainly change in the coming month.
Masvidal tends to throw with a ton of power while Diaz peppers his opponents with jabs and accurate striking. It'll be interesting to see how this boxing match plays out. But either way we should expect an exciting matchup between these two UFC veterans. Although Nate Diaz is the underdog, he's likely to do something to excite fight fans, as that's become the norm throughout his carer.
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