Nick Diaz has spoken out for the first time since completing over a year in a Mexican rehabilitation facility, posting a statement on social media that addressed his recent marriage, criticized members of his inner circle, and hinted at tension with brother Nate Diaz.
The former Strikeforce welterweight champion posted the message to his Instagram story on January 21, 2026, where he claimed he was kept in treatment against his will and took aim at people he once considered close to him. The statement was deleted shortly after being posted, but not before it spread across combat sports media.
“To everyone talking about my life and how they want to control me you never will again,” Diaz wrote in the post. “I was locked up for over a year and the ones I thought closest to me kept me there for their own motives.”
Diaz entered a treatment facility in Mexico in January 2025 following a concerning video that showed him attempting to light grass on fire just days after withdrawing from a scheduled fight against Vicente Luque at UFC 310. The 42-year-old fighter spent more than a year in the structured program, with his recovery coach Jose Garcia providing periodic updates to concerned fans throughout 2025.
Nick Diaz, Kayla, and Family Dispute
Central to the statement was Diaz’s defense of his partner Kayla, whom he married in Las Vegas on January 8, 2026, shortly after his release from rehab. The marriage came as a surprise to many, particularly given the contentious history surrounding Kayla’s relationship with Diaz’s family and coaching staff.
Throughout 2025, competing narratives emerged about Kayla’s role in Diaz’s life. In June 2025, she publicly claimed that Diaz had been drugged and taken to Mexico against his will. Diaz’s longtime coach Cesar Gracie quickly refuted those allegations, stating that “Nick doesn’t have a girlfriend” and accusing Kayla of illegally controlling his social media accounts and squatting at his Stockton residence.
In his recent statement, Diaz made clear where his loyalty now stands. “My wife Kayla is there for me she always had my back and best interests for me and never held anything over my head for her benefit,” he wrote. Kayla has since changed her Instagram name to “Kayla Diaz,” confirming the marriage.
The union has created friction within the Diaz family. According to reports from combat sports media outlet Parry Punch, Nick and Nate Diaz are now at odds over the circumstances of Nick’s release from rehab and his decision to marry Kayla rather than continue with a planned stay at a sober living facility in San Diego.
Criticism of “Old Man” and Inner Circle
The Stockton fighter directed sharp criticism at what he described as an “old man who keeps claiming to have my best interests and is the spokesman for my family,” though he did not identify the person by name. “Everything he says is bs and I don’t want to hear it anymore from someone trying to hold me down with negativity,” Diaz wrote.
The reference likely points to either Jose Garcia or Cesar Gracie, both of whom have served as public spokesmen for Diaz throughout his rehab stay. Garcia, who posts under the handle bbjninjarecovery on social media, provided regular updates on Diaz’s condition in 2025, reporting in August that he was “doing exceptionally well” and in November that medical evaluations showed partial recovery from substance use disorders, though MRI results indicated significant scar tissue remained.
The relationship between Diaz’s coaches has itself been contentious. Gracie previously dismissed Garcia as a “groupie” who holds a grudge, while Garcia accused Gracie of attempting to sabotage Diaz’s training camps and forcing him to fight in poor condition.
Brewing Feud With Brother Nate
Perhaps most surprising was Diaz’s public acknowledgment of issues with his younger brother Nate. “For my brother Nate I don’t know what his issue is but you need to cut out the shit talkers in your group to keep it real they are embarrassing to be around,” Nick wrote.
According to reports from Parry Punch host Jacob Castro, citing unnamed sources, the brothers are feuding over two main issues. Nick is reportedly upset that Nate did not intervene sooner to get him out of the Mexican facility, while Nate is frustrated that Nick left a planned sober living program early to marry Kayla in Las Vegas.
There is additional tension over the ownership and operation of the Nick Diaz Academy in Stockton. Sources suggest Nick feels Nate took control of the gym and its students during his absence, which has contributed to the rift.
A team member close to Jake Shields, Diaz’s longtime training partner, offered a different perspective, stating that “Nate is not beefing with Nick” and that the brothers simply have different views on what is best for Nick’s recovery. The source added that brothers naturally disagree and that Nate respects whatever decisions Nick makes about his own life.
Diaz has reached a one-year sobriety milestone and recently returned to light training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas with Jake Shields. Video footage shows the former champion smiling and in good spirits during the training session, a marked improvement from the concerning footage that emerged in November 2024.
For now, the focus appears to be on his personal life, his marriage to Kayla, and navigating the complicated relationships with family members and coaches who played competing roles during his year-long absence from public view.
