Nate Diaz and Jon Jones return to the spotlight on Russian MMA show 'ALF Reality' as coaches, fans react: "Anything but fighting Aspinall"

Jon Jones and Nate Diaz are set to appear on season two of the 'ALF Reality' show, a Russian mirror of 'The Ultimate Fighter'. The two men will serve as opposing coaches for competing teams, and fans wasted no time taking to social media to express their thoughts.

While Jones is the reigning UFC heavyweight champion, Diaz hasn't fought in the promotion since late 2022, when he left after submitting Tony Ferguson at UFC 279. However, his last combat sports fight was a boxing match against Jorge Masvidal, which he won via majority decision last year.

Combat sports media outlet Championship Rounds took to X to share the news that Diaz and Jones will join 'ALF Reality' as head coaches.

Diaz recently shared an Instagram post that featured him hitting the pads, hinting at a possible return to fighting, though no real announcement was made. Meanwhile, Jones is still expected to defend his UFC heavyweight title against the division's interim champion, Tom Aspinall.

Unfortunately, there have been various setbacks regarding the bout's booking, which has sparked Aspinall's frustration. Some of the fans seem to echo those feelings as they took to the comments section of Championship Rounds' post on X to make their feelings known.

Criticizing Jones for avoiding the Englishman, one individual wrote:

"Anything but fighting Aspinall. Anybody else would be stripped by now"

Another fan made a similar statement:

"It's official: Jon Jones has ducked Tom Aspinall"

Others were shocked at 'ALF Reality's' ability to sign Jones and Diaz as coaches.

"That's wild that a Russian show could draw two HUGE names, is it that popular?"

A collage of fan reactions can be seen below:

Fan reaction to Jon Jones and Nate Diaz on 'ALF Reality'

Jones and Diaz aren't the first UFC fighters, past or present, to be featured on the show as coaches. Former bantamweight champion Petr Yan also made an appearance previously.

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Jon Jones is no stranger to being a coach

On 'The Ultimate Fighter 17,' Jon Jones served as the coach for a team competing against Chael Sonnen's team. The two men ultimately faced each other at UFC 159, with Jones defending the light heavyweight title against Sonnen with a first-round TKO. The results of their coaching, though, differed.

Check out a Jon Jones compilation from his 'TUF 17' stint:

Sonnen proved to be the far more competent coach between the two, with two of his pupils in Kelvin Gastelum and Uriah Hall making it to the final, which was ultimately won by Gastelum via split-decision.