Former UFC champion Daniel Cormier nearly quit the latest season of the Russian ALF MMA reality show after tensions boiled over into a dangerous situation.
Cormier and longtime rival Jon Jones served as coaches for the show, which has built a reputation among MMA fans for its viral brawls and chaotic moments. Previous seasons featured fighters like Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev, but this year’s filming in Thailand pushed things to a whole new level.
In the third episode, tensions escalated when two competitors with a personal grudge got into a violent altercation. Amid the chaos, one fighter, Sergei, tried to defend himself by grabbing a kitchen knife, sending everyone on set into a panic.
“Eventually, Sergey is so mad that not only does he have a cut under his chin, he runs into the kitchen and he tries to grab a knife,” Cormier said on the show.
Jones, who has been part of ALF MMA for multiple seasons, described the scene as “one of the most intense moments I’ve personally seen or been a part of. Sergei went to grab that knife and scared the s— out of everybody.”
Cormier admitted he seriously considered leaving the show for his own safety. “I think we’re going to go home, I might give them their money back and go home. I can’t do that s—, it’s too much, somebody is going to get hurt bad, like bad. I didn’t know it was like this. I don’t know if I can do this, man, tell him this is too much, I might not be able to do this,” he told one of his coaches.
Jones stepped in, urging Cormier to stay. “Please, please, we all really need you, bro,” he said. “Ultimately, it’s just a TV show.”
The two rivals managed to calm things down, and Cormier decided to finish filming. Both coaches navigated the aftermath carefully to ensure no one else was harmed, and production resumed safely.
Despite their heated rivalry, Cormier later expressed sympathy for Jones after the former UFC heavyweight champion was snubbed from the UFC White House event, showing that even intense competition can yield moments of mutual respect.
Cormier’s near-exit highlights just how unpredictable and intense ALF MMA can be and proves that even legends of the sport are not immune to real danger behind the scenes.
The season continues to draw attention for its high drama, and fans will be eager to see how Cormier and Jones manage the chaos for the remainder of filming.
