Nick Diaz has returned from rehab in Mexico, and his reappearance alone has been enough to pull him back into the MMA conversation. The Stockton native has said very little publicly, yet his recent activity has reopened discussion around old names tied to his past. After years away from the spotlight, the UFC legend has reignited interest in a possible clash with a current UFC champion who once chased that fight hard.

That champion is Khamzat Chimaev. After entering the UFC, ‘Borz’ quickly turned into a phenom who wanted to fight everyone. Along the way, he repeatedly called out the Diaz brothers for a showdown. One of those moments came in October 2021, when Chimaev publicly targeted Nick Diaz on social media. Now, years later, the UFC legend has brought that moment back into focus by digging up the old statement.

Nick Diaz stirs up feud with Khamzat Chimaev with social media callout

“@nickdiaz209 surprise surprise I’m coming for you #209” ‘Borz’ posted on X (formerly Twitter) back in 2021, referencing Stockton’s 209 area code that Diaz proudly represents. Now in 2026, following his return, the former UFC fighter reposted it on his Instagram story, publicly hinting at a possible clash.    

For the unversed, while Nick Diaz only reshared Khamzat’s 2021 callout recently, their animosity actually goes much further back. During his early UFC run in 2020, Chimaev openly called out both Diaz brothers and Demian Maia, claiming he could fight multiple opponents back-to-back.

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Well, while the old animosity has caught new fire in 2026, the chances of them actually colliding remain very low. At present, the Chechen-Emirati star holds the 185-pound championship and has dominated most of his opponents. Meanwhile, the former UFC title challenger has just returned from a difficult phase of his life and now seems to be contemplating what comes next. Still, that did not stop Diaz from crossing paths with one of Borz’s bitter enemies.

Recently, the Californian visited Xtreme Couture gym with close friend Jake Shields and shared a casual interaction with Sean Strickland. The former middleweight champion is set to headline a UFC event against Anthony Hernandez, and a win could place him right back in line to face Chimaev next, a rival ‘Tarzan’ has long held deep animosity toward.

So while Diaz’s chances of facing ‘Borz’ remain slim, the idea of Diaz being present around Strickland if he crosses paths with Chimaev has been floated, even if nothing is planned, assuming they do not end up waging war against each other first. Meanwhile, Diaz’s return has already included blunt commentary aimed at another former champion.

Stockton legend labels Jack Della Maddalena ‘a poor guy’ in blunt remark  

At UFC 322, Jack Della Maddalena lost the 170-pound belt in a superfight against Islam Makhachev at Madison Square Garden. In a 25-minute battle, the Dagestani controlled the Aussie for nearly 20 minutes, earning a lopsided decision victory. While the newly crowned champion received praise for yet another dominant performance, criticism quickly followed for ‘JDM’, with many pointing to his inability to escape from the bottom position.

Speaking about Della Maddalena’s struggles on the ground, Nick Diaz criticized the Aussie for failing to pass guard during the fight and went a step further by saying he did not feel sorry for the former welterweight champion.

“This is like currently what’s happening. You watch the fight with Islam, and the f— Australian, and the poor guy is like, I don’t feel sorry for him. I want to say like, ‘Damn’, but I’m like you didn’t learn how to go back and systematically understand why a black belt is passing your guard,” former Strikeforce champ stated to his student in a video Jake Shields posted.

Now, while there is some truth to Diaz’s statement, battling an elite grappler is always difficult, even with a solid game plan. That said, although the former UFC fighter offered a valid technical opinion, it could also be his way of quietly stirring another rivalry against the Aussie.

And with Nick Diaz back and already slipping into his old habits, the bigger question now is simple. Whether that presence leads to another fight remains unanswered. What is clear is that Nick Diaz’s return has already reopened conversations he never fully left behind.