When Road House came out in 2024, fans were ecstatic—Jake Gyllenhaal throwing punches, Conor McGregor making his big acting debut, and an old-school cult favorite reinvented for the fight-loving youth. However, most people were unaware that McGregor was not the original choice for the tough-guy role opposite Gyllenhaal. Nope. That call originally went out to none other than Nate Diaz. And in the most Nate Diaz fashion possible, he said no. But why?

You could argue that Diaz would have suited the tone even better—gritty, raw, and unpredictable. A real-life fighter who doesn’t have to “act tough” on TV since that’s simply who he is. But there’s a reason he turned it down. It was not about money, and it certainly wasn’t about fear.

It was about pride—and even a little bit of attitude. Because someone like Diaz does not stroll into a movie and take an L, even if it is written in the screenplay. Diaz revealed on the HJR podcast, “I was supposed to do Conor McGregor’s part in…” And before he could finish, the host interrupted, “Road House?” Diaz agreed, “Yeah, that was my part. But I was like, I’m not fighting. I’m not going to go in there and lose in a fight.”

That’s classic Nate. ‘The Stockton Slugger’ has been fighting real fights in the cage for years, and he isn’t about to play a choreographed one where he ends up on the mat for a film. But it did not end there. When Diaz learned Jake Gyllenhaal had been hired as the lead—the modern-day equivalent of Patrick Swayze’s character—he couldn’t resist throwing one of his signature zingers.

He said, “I ain’t going to no movie and listening to no Brokeback Mountain,” he declared, poking fun at Gyllenhaal’s earlier film work. Brutal? Sure. But it’s also just how he is. He wasn’t trying to be disrespectful; he was simply sticking to the image he’s always had—zero filters, all fight, no pretend.

In the end, the role went to Conor McGregor, who brought his typical swagger and lots of eyes. The film went viral on Amazon Prime, garnering over 50 million views in just two weekends. However, you can’t help but wonder what Road House would have looked like with Diaz in that role—no Hollywood polish, just pure Stockton smoke.

It might not have been as clean, but it certainly would have been authentic. However, this wasn’t the only screen appearance of the UFC star that fans missed out on, as another one of his planned appearances has now been scrapped.

Nate Diaz’s Russian TUF plan gets dropped

After passing on Road House because he didn’t want to “go in there and lose in a fight,” Nate Diaz found himself drawn to a different type of entertainment project—one that seemed a lot more his speed. A Russian version of The Ultimate Fighter, all set to feature him and Jon Jones as opposing coaches, coaching new MMA hopefuls while getting into each other’s heads. It was intentionally gritty, unpredictable, and anarchic. However, things were a little too real—even for ‘The Stockton Slugger.’

Everything was great until a Russian fighter named Zalimkhan Yusupov decided to play tough. It was the usual showface stuff—posing down, trash-talking, posturing—but Yusupov made a critical mistake: he dubbed himself a “gangster” in front of Nate Diaz. Diaz was visibly offended by the epithet “gangster,” which was thrown around as a prop. Before anyone knew it, he had retaliated in the only way he knew how: one slap, followed by fists flying.

No script. No director. Just Nate Diaz being Nate Diaz. And just like that, the set erupted into a full-fledged brawl that you couldn’t choreograph. The reaction was swift and harsh. Diaz walked back to California, despite the fact that the entire cast and crew were caught in the crossfire. Meanwhile, Jon Jones, who maintained his calm throughout, managed to shine.

TUF CEO Alfredo Auditore even commended him on Instagram, describing him as “very good and simple” and “surprisingly genuine.” It’s ironic—one man walked away as a ‘legend,’ while the other walked away from everything. But that is Diaz. You don’t tame that type of fire, not for a Hollywood script or Russian television. But what do you think? Do you believe Nate Diaz would have been a better pick for Road House than Conor McGregor? Let us know in the comments!