UFC champion slams Andrew Tate, charges against Nate Diaz dropped, Israel Adesanya condemned for DUI: MMA News Roundup
Welcome to Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup where today we will discuss Nate Diaz's street brawl charges, Israel Adesanya's DUI, and more.
#3. Sean Strickland takes a jab at Andrew Tate during a powerful message
Sean Strickland took a step outside of his usual humorous persona to deliver a deep, insightful message for men on the latest episode of The Man Dance podcast he hosts with Chris Curtis.
He has been long mocked for his Hyundai car, which is not the usual choice of a UFC champion. However, he took a moment to address the fan sentiment and dismissed the need to be flashy with one's lifestyle to prove their worth.
Strickland said:
"The reason why I drive a sh*tty Hyundai - very cheap - the entire world makes you feel inadequate. Everything we do from what you wear to what you drive, you are born living in a f***king commercial... I love America more than anything, but I do not recognize the world we live in. We are creating a generation of boys who judge their character by what they drive and what they wear."
At this point, Curtis joked if this was the speech from the cult classic movie Fight Club, and later mimicked Andrew Tate and his commonly heard comments about "low value" and "high value" women.
The UFC star replied:
"If Andrew Tate was right here he wouldn't even make eye contact with me. He is so f**king scared of me"
The American previously slammed the NELK Boys on their podcast for being Tate followers, calling the influencer a "con artist."
#2. DA's office drops battery charge against Nate Diaz
Nate Diaz was involved in a street brawl earlier this year in New Orleans with a person who looked similar to Logan Paul. The viral video clip later revealed that the man in question was social media influencer Rodney Peterson.
The former UFC star had voluntarily turned himself in at the local police department and was booked on a felony second-degree battery charge in April.
On Monday, Diaz's legal representative Zach Rosenfield said in a statement to ESPN that the charge against the fighter was dropped by the Orleans Parish District Attorney's office.
The statement read:
"Since Rodney Peterson sought out to fight Nate on Bourbon Street, we have maintained Nate's actions were 100 percent in self-defense. It was clear on the video, clear in pictures, and clear from the multiple other videos Rodney posted before and after."
It continued:
"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."
The DA's office reportedly confirmed with ESPN that they are not pursuing the case.
#1. "Publicity stunt?" - Ex-UFC champion Henry Cejudo on Israel Adesanya's arrest
Israel Adesanya was spotted at a New Zealand court on Monday after being summoned for a drunk driving incident. It occurred on August 19, three weeks before his UFC 293 title fight against Sean Strickland.
The news immediately triggered comparisons with Jon Jones, with whom 'The Last Stylebender' had a lengthy beef before squashing it recently.
Speaking on the matter, former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo drew parallels with multiple combat sports stars and wondered if it is part of an orchestrated PR strategy.
"Is this a publicity stunt is the next question that I want to ask. We saw it in the past with [Conor] McGregor. We saw it with Jon Jones. We saw it with Mike Tyson."
Cejudo continued:
"For somebody like Israel Adesanya, I would hope that he's not going down that route because your identity, Israel, is not based on you becoming a champion... At the end of the day, man, continue to keep being that mixed martial artist. I wouldn't go down that route of becoming that bad boy."
Catch Cejudo's full reaction below: