Video: Wild Brawl Prompts Nate Diaz, Jake Shields to Leave Russian Reality Show

Nate Diaz won’t be coaching on a Russian reality show after things got tense before filming had even begun.

Diaz was in Thailand with Jon Jones for the show, which is called ALF Reality and is somewhat similar to “The Ultimate Fighter.” In a video posted on YouTube, Jake Shields, who was in Thailand to help Diaz, explained the circumstances that ultimately led to both he and Diaz leaving the show.

At one point, some fighters were coming out to meet the coaches. One particular fighter was friendly with Jones, but the tone changed when he encountered Diaz. According to Shields, the fighter began talking trash to Diaz, which led to him being slapped by the Stockton, California, native. Shortly thereafter, another member of Diaz’s team punches the fighter. As others stepped in to intervene, the fighter begins making threatening gestures.

“Now the guy is trying to spaz out and acting crazy as people circle him,” Shields said on the video. “I didn’t know this guy was known for fighting…Had I been smart and watched the show, I’d have realized this guy is constantly being in fights. There’s videos of him constantly coming up and choking people from behind.

“No one’s escorting him out. There’s probably about 100 [Chechens] and Dagestanis there. You can’t see them all in the room because this mansion is insane.”

According to Shields, the fighter continued to return to the house after being led out on multiple occasions. At one point, he turns his attention to attacking what Shields refers to as “one our media guys,” who had thrown the fighter on the ground moments earlier during a melee.

“Eventually I got fed up I went after him … I went to mount him. I was pissed off at that point,” Shields said. “I was trying to make an example of this guy so fighters would stop testing us. Right when I started to go off on him, I got blitzed from the side … To me, it seemed like they were crew working there, not fighters. Because the fighters were in the chairs.”

With the numbers against them, Shields said it was best to de-escalate the situation. Eventually, Shields, Diaz and their team decided to leave the set and go to a hotel. After a few days there, it was decided that Diaz would no longer be participating in the show, and the former UFC star flew back home to California.

“Why are we going to go back and film a show — it’s one thing to be fighting the fighters, that’s why I went out there with Nate, I thought it was a possibility some of these fighters will try to test him — but when you have potentially the crew hitting you, too it’s like no, f—k that,” Shields said.