Nate Diaz & Chris Avila
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- MMA / UFC / boxing & BKFC
- Stockton 209 culture & loyalty
- BJJ & self-defense philosophy
- Fighter business & promotions
- Indie filmmaking (Busboys)
- Combat sports vs. celebrity boxing
- "Slapping someone is actually a nice gesture…" — Nate
- "You're walking around helpless and don't even know it." — Nate
- "I'm not nobody's comeback story either." — Nate
Theo Von sits down with UFC legend Nate Diaz and Stockton MMA fighter Chris Avila for a sprawling, unfiltered conversation about Stockton pride, jiu-jitsu philosophy, and what it means to be a fighter. Both guests are gearing up for major bouts on Netflix's MVP card—Nate facing Mike Perry and Chris taking on Brandon Jenkins—making this a high-stakes preview of their biggest paydays outside the UFC.
The conversation digs deep into Nate's ongoing beef with fight analysts, his vision for Real Fight Inc., why he turned down larger UFC offers tied to Conor McGregor, and his intention to eventually fight Jake Paul in MMA. Theo also plugs his self-funded independent film Busboys, starring Nate and Chris as heavies alongside David Spade, and opens up about sobriety, podcast growth, and the grinding reality behind comedy and fighting alike.
Equal parts hilarious and surprisingly philosophical, this episode showcases two warriors at the intersection of Stockton grit, business savvy, and authentic self-expression—from slapping pizza-parlor strangers to manifesting an MMA future with Jake Paul.
Slapping someone is actually a nice gesture… I could have just slept you, but I'm going to slap you and give you a chance. It's like a warning flare.
You're walking around helpless and you don't even know it, right? A tidal wave might come. You're gonna drown. That's why I started training.
Fighting is what I do now. It sucks and it's great and all that, but I'm not nobody's comeback story either.
Just 'cause you slapped a guy one time at a pizza parlor doesn't mean you can defend yourself.
It's like public speaking with your face and fists.
I ain't fighting no people who aren't fighters. I'm fighting fighters, because that makes good fights.
I'm in love with UFC. That's where I come from… but all this came from it, even Jake Paul's whole thing.
I could study forever and I won't get past the magazines. [On feeling out of his depth on Rogan's podcast.]
- 00:00:00Busboys promo & Nashville Ryman show preview
- 00:01:09Introducing Nate Diaz & Chris Avila — Netflix fights announced
- 00:02:04Nate's vegan restaurant & mainly-vegan diet
- 00:07:45Boosie story, late arrivals & Dwyane Wade's kid ⭐
- 00:08:31Stockton slap origins & pizza-parlor incident ⭐
- 00:11:27Stockton pride: Mickey Grove Zoo & 209 culture
- 00:15:00How Nate & Chris met at the tint shop
- 00:18:00Early amateur boxing & grooming jokes
- 00:21:00Records, never being finished, Josh Thomson
- 00:23:00Nick Diaz's legacy & family fighting influence
- 00:26:10Everlast vs. Eminem loyalty crisis story
- 00:28:16📺 Sponsor: CarShield — code THEO
- 00:29:18📺 Sponsor: Acorns investing app
- 00:31:00Jiu-jitsu in schools, self-defense & swimming analogy ⭐
- 00:33:00Social anxiety & training with cops and bakers
- 00:36:40CTE risk, football vs fighting debate
- 00:37:40Is fighting still fun? Training vs. lifestyle identity
- 00:39:05Camp dread, fear vs. fan excitement (Gladiator analogy) ⭐
- 00:40:50Dieting, ZYN pouches & fasting lifestyle
- 00:43:00Joe Rogan's "two episodes a week" advice
- 00:44:25MVP/Netflix card & Mike Perry matchup explained
- 00:46:20Violence, fan-favorite wars & best-of-best philosophy
- 00:48:00Chris Avila's MMA/boxing run & return to MMA
- 00:49:30Camp structure: boxing, wrestling, Joe Schilling
- 00:51:30Jon Bernthal nap rant & Nate's take
- 00:53:00Netflix, PPV model & biggest payday discussion
- 00:55:30UFC vs Netflix/MVP, Real Fight Inc., Conor timing ⭐
- 00:59:00BMF belt ownership & Oliveira criticism ⭐
- 01:03:00Choosing Mike Perry & Netflix over UFC options
- 01:04:27📺 Sponsor: Saily eSIM — code THEO
- 01:06:00Jake Paul hunt & MMA plans
- 01:08:30Rapid word association: Conor, Poirier, GSP, Khabib
- 01:11:40Jiu-jitsu for Lindsey Graham & DC BJJ plug
- 01:13:30Michael Johnson callout & Rogan mic pull story
- 01:16:20Fighting high & Pettis fight blunt story
- 01:18:30Nick Diaz weed suspension & commission ruling
- 01:20:30Busboys acting experience & on-set embarrassment
- 01:22:00Busboys bloopers: car scene, yelling at Theo
- 01:24:30Independent film model & pre-sale push
- 01:26:40Turned down Road House; missed DiCaprio Stockton film
- 01:29:00Future acting roles & wanting nicer characters
- 01:30:30Quadruple amputee cornhole murder story riff
- 01:33:00BMF belt residuals joke & calling the UFC
- 01:34:00Sobriety, weed & no giving drugs to sober friends
- 01:36:00Rat King nickname & King & the Sting origin
- 01:37:30DC & Brendan Schaub analyst rant ⭐
- 01:41:00Closing: Busboys characters, 209 shoutouts & May 16 card
A rude stranger at a pizza shop set off the wrong energy. Nate, unbothered, slapped him as a warning and stayed to wait for his medium pizza. He frames the slap not as aggression but as mercy—a kindness compared to what a trained fighter could actually do. Nick's slap of Robbie Lawler in his second UFC fight is cited as where "Stockton slap" entered the public vocabulary.
Nate and Chris first met at Chris's dad's tint shop in Stockton. Local sponsor Rod sold a young Nate a Honda Civic when all he wanted was a Cadillac—then became his first real fight sponsor, supporting multiple Diaz family cars and camps. The tint shop became a hub for the fighters coming up around Nick Diaz's orbit.
A 15-year-old Nate—socially anxious and regularly stoned—found himself training jiu-jitsu alongside adults: cops, bakers, doctors. The act of putting people in chokeholds and then discussing the technique afterward broke down every social barrier. He credits this as the foundation of his communication skills and confidence.
Invited onto Everlast's Shade 45 radio show, Nate sat paralyzed with guilt—he was ride-or-die for Eminem's side of their famous beef. He awkwardly asked Everlast if they were "cool now," and later discovered Eminem name-dropped him in a track. He calls it "all I needed in life."
The UFC offered Nate more money, but the deal was tied to Conor McGregor—a fighter Nate refuses to fight while on a downswing (post-KO, post-leg-break). Rather than be anyone's "comeback story," Nate chose Perry on Netflix as his own terms, positioning Real Fight Inc. as a co-brand and building leverage for his own promotion.
Theo and David Spade wrote and paid for Busboys entirely themselves—no studio, no gatekeepers. They're using pre-sale ticket numbers to persuade theaters to expand showings. Nate and Chris play the heavies with zero prior acting experience, and both are now hungry for more roles.
Nate argues everyone should learn jiu-jitsu the same way everyone should know how to swim. "What if you fall in some water?" applies equally to physical altercations. People walk through life helpless in grappling situations without realizing it—jiu-jitsu creates physical awareness, real confidence, and better decision-making around conflict. He extends this to law enforcement and school PE.
Search: BJJ Benefits →Nate describes fighting as something that chooses you over time. After a camp and fight, there's an empty period—and then the urge to "get back to what I do" returns. He parallels this to comedy choosing Theo: once it's your core identity, no amount of money from misaligned opportunities feels right by comparison.
Search: Fighter Identity Psychology →Nate rejects the fan question "Are you excited?" entirely. He says he's scared even before camp starts. Using the Gladiator film analogy—a warrior watching others pee from fear—he explains that seasoned fighters don't lack fear; they act anyway. Courage is doing it despite the dread, not the absence of it.
Search: Combat Sports Fear →Nate argues Jake Paul found a loophole: box MMA fighters who aren't trained boxers, leverage the UFC's brand prestige, and build his own celebrity—all while publicly feuding with the UFC. Nate positions himself as "in on the joke" and intends to close the loop by taking Paul to MMA, where Paul's striking base matters less.
Search: Jake Paul vs MMA Fighters →After 20 years in the UFC as talent, Nate sees a clear path to running events himself. Real Fight Inc. is his vehicle to co-brand fight cards, own his identity, and eventually collaborate directly with Netflix. He views his UFC experience not as a debt but as tuition—an education in how to build real MMA events properly.
Search: Fighter-Owned Promotions →Nate sees the BMF belt as his own creation—a concept he originated to raise fighter value and celebrate a certain kind of authentic, forward-pressing warrior. When fighters like Oliveira wear "his belt," he takes it personally. He argues that any fight for the BMF belt is fundamentally a contest for the value of his own name and legacy.
Search: BMF Belt Origin →This site contains affiliate links to Amazon and other companies. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.