Photo by Christian Petersen/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC
According to Lethwei fighter Dave Leduc, TUF 1 alum is no longer with the UFC and is now seeking opportunities under WLC.
Early this week, Diego Sanchez accepted Demian Maia’s challenge to a fight sometime in the near future. As the TUF 1 alum stated on Instagram, he wants the bout to take place in January of the coming year.
“Let’s go Dana White I didn’t get the go on the Anthony Pettis fight I have paid my dues,” Sanchez wrote. “Only you know the truth of my last outing. Let’s put it together Jan 18th in Vegas!!! Two legends want to dance let us dance!”
But that fight may no longer take place, according to Lethwei fighter Dave Leduc.
“I got a message from Diego Sanchez the other day,” Leduc said on a recent episode of the JRE MMA Show (transcript by BJPenn.com). “He said, ‘Dave, I’m not in the UFC anymore’. Whoops, maybe I shouldn’t have [said] that.
“[Sanchez] said, I’m out of my contract, do you want to get me a Lethwei fight in WLC?”
Lethwei is a form of Burmese bare-knuckle striking, which includes the use of punches, kicks, knees, elbows and headbutts. It is known as the “Art of 9 limbs”, and is considered to be one of the most brutal martial arts in the world.
Sanchez has been with the UFC since he won the first Ultimate Fighter series in 2005. He last fought at UFC 239 against fellow TUF alum Michael Chiesa and lost via unanimous decision.