Somewhere in the distance, a rusty trombone wails.
Longtime comedian Steven Wright has a funny bit about becoming a painter.
“I’ve been doing a lot of abstract painting lately, extremely abstract. No brush, no paint, no canvas. I just think about it.”
I had a similar chuckle when UFC welterweight Diego Sanchez told his Instagram followers that “Coach of the Year,” Joshua Fabia, was able to “reinvent a fighter at the age of 38” with “no equipment, no team, and no building.”
Having a “School of Self Awareness” but no building at least saves you that tedious ride on the short bus.
“Joshua has sought out experiential wisdom from elders and wise leaders all over the world,” according to his official website. “From them, in the depths of forests, jungles, and deserts, he learned universal, ancient concepts that enable us to reconnect, heal, and take control of our lives.”
He certainly took control of the life of Sanchez, who was so incensed at the criticism stemming from UFC Rio Rancho, that “Nightmare” went on social media and demanded an apology from the “corrupt” naysayers.
“My coach should be getting coach of the year award for reinventing a fighter at the age of 38,” Sanchez wrote. “What you are seeing is something special. He has done this alone. No equipment. No team. No building. If you see this and respect me at all you all owe him a HUGE apology. And if you are not willing to apologize and want to deny what you see in this video you are too far corrupted and no one can help you.”
Sanchez was losing his fight against Michel Pereira but managed to escape Rio Rancho with a “smart” disqualification victory. In addition to coach Trevor Wittman, cageside commentator and former two-division champion, Daniel Cormier, questioned what “The Nightmare” was trying to accomplish with his bizarre gameplan.
“Nice commentating Daniel Cormier, really thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Sanchez continued. “You did me so wrong it taught me what is really going on. Thanks for not talking to my coach, manager, and cornerman Joshua Fabia in our pre-fight meeting. You already showed me your bias attitude then.”
Sanchez defends his strategy, as well as his coach, in a lengthy video posted above. I’m not sure he realizes how badly he was losing the fight (highlights here), which is why it’s puzzling to hear him defend their gameplan like it was producing some sort of winning result.
I guess we’ll find out more in his next fight.