Nate Diaz’s trip to Thailand for a Russian reality MMA show ended in classic Stockton style, with a brawl, and a hasty exit. Now, Chael Sonnen, vowing to play the role of international enforcer if things get dicey again.
Nate Diaz Brawl in Thailand
Here’s the scene: Diaz was tapped to coach on “ALF Reality,” a Russian spin on The Ultimate Fighter, alongside Jon Jones. The show was set in Thailand, where, according to Diaz’s longtime teammate Jake Shields, the vibe turned hostile before the cameras could even roll. Shields says a fighter named Zalik, friendly with Jones, started talking trash to Diaz. Diaz responded with a slap, and a teammate of his escalated things with a punch. The situation spiraled, with Shields claiming not just fighters, but even crew members jumped in. Outnumbered and unimpressed, Diaz, Shields, and their crew decided they’d had enough and left the show, soon heading back to the U.S.
UFC heavyweight champ Jon Jones, who remains on the show, described the incident as a case of “play fighting gone wrong,” noting that Nate Diaz arrived in Thailand already wary due to past beef with Russian fighters. Jones said, “Play fighting with Nate was not the best idea. It became serious right away, and we had to replace Nate.”
Olympian and former UFC titleholder Daniel Cormier, who was nearly a coach on the show himself, said the clash was almost inevitable given Nate Diaz’s well-known friction with Russian MMA figures like Khabib Nurmagomedov. Cormier called the whole thing predictable, given the personalities and history involved.
Chael Sonnen Ready to Defend Diaz
Enter Chael Sonnen, never one to miss a chance to get in on a fight. Sonnen, reacting to the chaos, said, “This dude looks like a loose wire. Nate was cornered to a degree. I’m just letting you know if that happens again, there’s going to be an issue… If that happens again, Gilbert [Melendez] and I will be heading out to Thailand to find out what that was.”
Chael Sonnen’s message is clear: if Nate Diaz finds himself outnumbered again, Sonnen and Melendez will hop a flight and sort things out themselves, presumably with a little less talk and a lot more action.
With Diaz out, the show’s producers are now scrambling for a replacement coach, while the MMA world debates who was at fault and whether this was all just a little too on-brand for Diaz. As for Sonnen, he’s made it clear that if his old friend gets cornered again, Thailand might be seeing a couple more familiar faces from the fight game.
