Diego Sanchez responded to claims from many that he took the cowardly way out against Michel Pereira.
Sanchez has faced plenty of flak for choosing not to continue after receiving an illegal knee in the third round of his UFC Rio Rancho fight with Pereira this past weekend.
“The Nightmare” has already defended his decision as a veteran’s move but provided more insight in a post on Instagram:
“Notice the picture was the last picture before fight was ruled a DQ aside from the Cut sustained for the illegal blow my face looks clean as F, aside from the cut sustained by the illegal knee?! Maybe due to my opponents lack of awareness he lost control and did not recognize I went down from knee to the ribs that broke two ribs. He delivered a kill blow too my head with so much force! Who had to take that head damage me. It was not a glancing blow it was flush with full power and connection! It split my wig & The scar will be with me forever!
“So for me to continue to compete in this head space makes me a coward? No it makes me a #wiseman maybe you should rewatch the fight with no sound and witness the improvements in defense and movement when faced against the odds as is! fighting a 26 year old super athletic goliath that out weighs me by 20lbs has 5 inches in reach 5 inches in height, let’s add a uncanny ability to jump and deliver knees. This challenges my ability to get in for a shot, the game has evolved people it’s 2020 not 1996!”
Sanchez also hit out at commentator Daniel Cormier and Trevor Wittman for their analysis of the fight as well as the corner advice from Josh Fabia:
“@dc_mma 50 seconds in you and Trevor Wittman @twittman2 start poisonings the mind of the nation wide cast with your this is hard to watch and strange when I’m not taking damage. Protecting myself while still fighting a man who was not willing to stay the pocket and fight with me. I was sentenced to death in my own backyard, why isn’t anyone seeing this? Notice pereira got a three song custom champion only walk out song for his dance walk out? as if he was @stylebender or Jonathan Jones? This is not normal behavior by @ufc then @mikebisping hyping him up the dancing the flips OMG! Why the push is it @wwe now?
“All I know is the scar is for life and so is the Win! That makes 31 ufc fights in row why isn’t anyone saying that? It’s kinda some legend shit I’m doing.”
Finally, Sanchez responded to McGregor whose now-deleted tweet of a fight between the pair — which in all likelihood was a joke — went viral after the fight:
“Well at least the highest paid top tier fight IQ athlete and legendary champion @thenotoriousmma is not blinded by the smear campaign against me my coach manager and mentor @joshuafabiaknowbody & his company @schoolofselfawareness by the media and others?!
“Thank you @thenotoriousmma you are a wise man too. It’s been 6 years since we put each others names in our destiny.”
What do you think of Sanchez’s response?