10:05 AM PT -- 4/25 -- Nate Diaz's camp has broken their silence on the altercation that resulted in a battery charge ... claiming the UFC star was simply protecting himself.
“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," Diaz's rep Zach Rosenfield 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.