Diego Sanchez doesn’t have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) — in fact, he claims it doesn’t even exist.
CTE is a disorder that plagues NFL players as well as mixed martial artists and boxers due to the severe damage they take to their heads during the course of their careers.
While it’s impossible to know if anyone has it as it can only be determined after an autopsy, one common indicator is the slurring of speech. Some have observed this to be the case with Sanchez.
However, just don’t tell him that. “The Nightmare” recently hit out at an Instagram user for claiming that he had CTE. Sanchez denied the claim and believes he is speaking better than he ever has:
“you think? how do you know you watch a movie? you read a artical [sic]? There is no proof of CTE just another mental weapon to effect the minds of he weak! Like a placebo effect in a negative way! I have no CTE or any signs of any brain damage am I talking like Nick Diaz no I’m speaking better than I ever have!!! Maybe I’m the cure for CTE! WAY OUTSIDE THE BOX.”
While Sanchez has only been knocked out four times in a career spanning 42 professional fights, there is no question that he has taken a considerable amount of damage to his head given all the wars he has been in.
Hopefully for his case, he is right in that he doesn’t have CTE.
What do you make of Sanchez’s claims?