Nick Diaz’s fighting days aren’t over.
The past few years have been difficult for Diaz, a former UFC championship contender who has not competed since 2021. Updates on the 42-year-old Diaz’s life and competitive status have been few and far between, but Diaz recently sat down for an interview at the Baja Rehab center in Baja California, Mexico, to discuss his recovery from substance abuse and ongoing sobriety journey.
Despite his lengthy hiatus, Diaz revealed he plans to not only fight again, but add another title to his collection.
“I see myself becoming world champion,” Diaz said. “I see myself becoming world champion and I think it’s easy money. It’s not like before. People are going to see a brand new me.”
The last time Diaz came close to a return was in 2024. He was scheduled to fight Vicente Luque at UFC Abu Dhabi in July of that year. The bout was postponed due to travel issues and rescheduled for UFC 310 in Las Vegas, but Diaz then withdrew from that date for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Themba Gorimbo.
In his prime, Diaz was one of the top welterweights in the world, winning a Strikeforce title in 2010 and later joining the UFC where he fought for both an undisputed and interim title against Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit, respectively. He credits his single-mindedness as one of the factors for his success and his ability to remain sober.
“For me, I just think that I wouldn’t have made it this far if I thought that there was something that could stop me,” Diaz said. “That being the next guy I’m standing in front of or any obstacle. Substance abuse, right or wrong, I’m just very confident that I’m going to do better every year, every day.”
In the interview, Diaz mentioned marijuana and alcohol among the substances he had been abusing. He insisted that he’s never had an issue with other drugs, though he associated with people who frequently abused harder substances, and that was enough to scare him straight.
“I definitely recommend treatment,” Diaz said. “I had so many friends die. I lost some really close friends and I couldn’t figure out how—This could have definitely saved their lives.
“I wish I could have at least talked to them. I never got the chance to, they died. They died and that was close enough for me. My friends dying and stuff like that. I wanted never to be a part of what happened to them and so just being close is too close, you know what I mean? I recommend treatment for some of these people.”
According to Diaz, he had actually been sober for three years before relapsing and then later rededicating himself to sobriety by going into rehab. It wasn’t only a matter of health and bad habits for Diaz. He now looks back on how his choices at the time added up to an unsafe environment for himself and the people around him.
“People were driving past my house with f*cking loaded guns and it scared the shit out of me,” Diaz said of what first motivated him to pursue sobriety. “Holy f*ck. I though these motherf*ckers were ready to kill me and they were. That’s facts. These motherf*ckers were going to kill me. Showing up, like, ‘My baby mama’s at your house, motherf*cker,’ and I’m like, ‘No, she’s not here. She was here, but she’s not here anymore. Sorry, f*ck.’ And I’m telling this guy this while my friend’s got a gun pointed right at his head.
“I was like, ‘I’m going to f*cking die.’”
After a falling out with his agents and a few close friends, Diaz committed to rehab, despite describing his previous three-year sober stint as ‘a living hell.’ As he continues his sobriety journey in California, he remains as confident as ever that he can fight his way back to the top.
“I just want to thank my fans, supporters, and everybody that is going to be ready to tune in for my next upcoming fights,” Diaz said. “We’re going to win a world title.”
Watch the full interview below.
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