Daniel Cormier is having second thoughts, and not about retirement. It’s a very specific regret, skipping out on ‘ALF Reality’, the Russian answer to the UFC’s iconic reality show, ‘The Ultimate Fighter’. And surprisingly, it’s because of his nemesis, Jon Jones! The second season of the show featured Nate Diaz and ‘Bones’ serving as coaches, with the show being filmed in Thailand.

Previously, when asked about coaching against his rival, Cormier had stated, “I can’t do a month in Thailand, opposite side Jon Jones. Especially when I can’t fight that dude no more…” But now? He’s reconsidering that decision. So, what is going on in Thailand that has the former ‘champ-champ’ kicking himself for missing out?

Daniel Cormier left kicking himself as Jon Jones and Nate Diaz’s appearance on ‘Russian TUF’ devolved into chaos

On a recent episode of his YouTube show, Daniel Cormier gave fans a behind-the-scenes peek into what could’ve been. He revealed, “I was supposed to do this show and more and more that I hear about it, I’m kind of sad that I didn’t go and do Russian TUF. So, at Russian TUF, which is in Thailand, and one of the things that I was told was, ‘Hey, we’ll get you a massive villa, you’re going to get paid big money.’”

He almost did it, too. But the offer came and went. Now, with every new update from Jon Jones, Cormier’s FOMO has reached critical levels. Why? He explained, “I want to do the show today more than I wanted to do the show back then. Because of something Jones said in regards to the show.”

The comments Cormier is referring to came on the heels of a massive brawl that occurred between Nate Diaz and his team and some of the contestants. The result? Diaz walked off the show immediately. In a subsequent interview with ‘Red Corner MMA’, Jones revealed, “We had one of our young fighters, a guy named Zalik, he was playing with Nate, he wanted to play-fight with Nate…”

Trying to “play fight” with the Stockton native? That’s clearly not the best idea as the situation devolved immediately into chaos. UFC veteran and Diaz’s training partner Jake Shields later posted a video breakdown of the entire incident where he revealed that things devolved even further forcing Team Diaz to pack their bags and say, “Nah, we’re f— leaving.”

As such, Jones stated in his interview, “I’ve been around the Bushido spirit for a long time, that martial arts spirit where everybody has a certain degree of, kind of certain rules you don’t cross, like a martial arts spirit and everything. I don’t think there’s a lot of that here. Some guys are like warriors and some guys are really just kind of street fighters. There’s insults, there’s weapons, this show — there’s nothing like it.”

And Cormier? He found himself itching to get himself out to Thailand as he shared, “It’s actually crazy out here. These dudes out here tripping, they fighting in the gym, they carrying weapons, it’s crazy out here. I should have did the show man, I really should have did the show.”

And who can blame him? Because when Jon Jones admits he’s rattled and when Nate Diaz exits stage left after a gym war, you know something special or possibly insane is going on. Russian TUF isn’t just another season of fighters trading jabs in a house. It’s an unscripted war zone wrapped in a TV show. But the chaos didn’t end when Diaz packed his bags. In fact, it just hit the streets!

Team Diaz member reveals a scary moment after reality show brawl

After the brawl and their exit from the ‘Russian TUF’ house, Nate Diaz and his crew tried to get a breather in Thailand. But while they assumed things would calm down once the cameras stopped rolling, some people had other plans.

According to Jake Shields, on an episode of the ‘Fight Back’ podcast, “People have been sending me videos from Russian Instagram, TV and stuff supposedly of these Russian and Chechen fighters looking for us around Thailand”

It wasn’t just a game of tag either. Shields claimed they stayed in the same area for days, walking around, hitting the same spots as he stated, “Everyone knew where we were at, we were chillin’ where we were. They were just trying to act tough.”

So, was this just a fight show gone off-script, or the birth of reality TV’s most dangerous spin-off? Daniel Cormier thought he was dodging an awkward month with Jon Jones. Instead, he missed out on the wildest combat circus the fight world has ever seen! From villas and big money to gym fights and street chases, ‘Russian TUF’ delivered everything but predictability.

Do you think Cormier will say yes to the opportunity next time? Why or why not? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!