Nate Diaz reacts after being mistaken by Miami Herald

Nate Diaz was at the center of a case of mistaken identity this week.

On Wednesday, the Miami Herald wrongly linked the Stockton fighter to an alleged domestic violence incident, claiming that he had been arrested and hospitalized after brawling with the cops. 

Shortly after this report was published, Diaz’s team responded. Zach Rosenfield, a representative for Diaz, blasted the report, completely denying the accusations and threatening legal action.

“The story printed by the Miami Herald is 100% false, inaccurate, baseless, irresponsible and utter nonsense,” Rosenfield told ESPN reporter Ariel Helwani. “Miami Herald has since pulled down the story. We demand an apology and have already have begun exploring legal action.”

“This story is absolutely not accurate. Nate has been home from the Super Bowl for over a week. This is not him. This is story is completely wrong.

“Nate has been in Stockton since the Tuesday after the Super Bowl and at no point did he have any interactions with Miami law enforcement. Zero issues whatsoever. And he has never been attached to anything close to domestic violence in his life.”

The Miami Herald quickly retracted the news story, but the damage was already done.

It is now confirmed that the fighter in question was not Nate Diaz, but a former MMA fighter named Michael Albert Nates (who has not fought since 2012). The publication released a statement following this major blunder.

“In an initial version of this story, the Miami Herald incorrectly reported that mixed martial arts superstar Nate Diaz had been arrested in a domestic-violence case,” the corrected article stated. “The Herald apologizes for the error.”

Now, Nate Diaz has weighed in on the mishap in typical Diaz-style.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8fQhaxgC2-/

“I’m not in Miami though,” he wrote on Instagram.

The short but sweet response confirmed Nate Diaz is neither a shapeshifter or domestic abuse perpetrator. Now that is cleared up, let’s hope Diaz can get back to what he does best: smoking marijuana, running triathlons, and fighting.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 2/13/2020.