Tag: Diego Sanchez

Dan Hardy Boxes Diego Sanchez On Ricky Hatton Undercard July 2

Former UFC welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy is finally set for his long-awaited return to combat sport this summer. In a day of comebacks, British boxing legend Ricky Hatton announced his return from retirement for an eight-round exhibition bout against Marco Antonio Barrera. While that bout is set to headline the event, dubbed “One Final…

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Former UFC welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy is finally set for his long-awaited return to combat sport this summer.

In a day of comebacks, British boxing legend Ricky Hatton announced his return from retirement for an eight-round exhibition bout against Marco Antonio Barrera. While that bout is set to headline the event, dubbed “One Final Assignment,” one undercard contest will be of note to mixed martial arts fans.

Like Hatton, Hardy hasn’t been in a action since 2012. Having not competed since a UFC victory over Amir Sadollah a decade ago, the 39-year-old is set to lace the boxing gloves for a clash with fellow MMA legend Diego Sanchez.

The action is slated to go down inside England’s Manchester Arena on July 2.

Hardy (25-10-1 MMA) appeared inside the UFC Octagon 10 times between 2008 and 2012. During that stint, “The Outlaw” shared the cage with the likes of Georges St-Pierre, Carlos Condit, Anthony Johnson, and Mike Swick. In 2013, the Englishman was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, causing him to ditch the gloves for the microphone.

After transitioning to broadcast and commentary roles, Hardy left the UFC in 2021. An apparent altercation with a staff member was reported as the cause of his release. Since that departure, talk of a fighting return has been prevalent.

While frequent back and forth with former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley seemingly hinted towards a matchup between the pair, whatever negotiations that were going on have evidently fallen through, with a different former UFC star getting the call.

Sanchez (30-14), a UFC Hall-of-Famer, has been active in MMA since his debut in 2002. After a falling out with the UFC last year, seemingly thanks to the input of his controversial coach, “The Nightmare” was let go and competed under a different promotional banner for the first time since 2005 last month.

In the main event of Eagle FC 46, the second US-held event for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s promotion, Sanchez headlined opposite Kevin Lee. Despite his underdog status, Sanchez performed admirably en route to defeat on the scorecards. The 40-year-old will now turn his attention to welcoming Hardy back to action in what will be both men’s first foray into the squared circle.

As well as Hatton vs. Barrera and Hardy vs. Sanchez, a celebrity bout between Casey Walsh and Don Strapzy is also advertized for the event.

How do you expect the bout between Dan Hardy and Diego Sanchez to play out?

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Fabia: UFC Moved “Scared” Serra Out Of Hotel After Abu Dhabi Exchange

Joshua Fabia, the former coach of Diego Sanchez, has recalled his 2020 interaction with Matt Serra, claiming the former UFC champion was “scared.” Coaches are often in and out of the headlines, whether for credit they receive for their efforts, such as Trevor Wittman’s striking development of Kamaru Usman, or criticism of their corner work,…

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Joshua Fabia, the former coach of Diego Sanchez, has recalled his 2020 interaction with Matt Serra, claiming the former UFC champion was “scared.”

Coaches are often in and out of the headlines, whether for credit they receive for their efforts, such as Trevor Wittman’s striking development of Kamaru Usman, or criticism of their corner work, hark back to the reaction to Jim West’s approach with Aspen Ladd last year. However, not many have received as much negative press as Fabia.

The founder of the ‘School of Self-Awareness’ coached Sanchez, victor of first season of The Ultimate Fighter, during his final years on MMA’s biggest stage. While a host of interactions and moments shone a bad light on Fabia and his partnership with “The Nightmare,” perhaps the most memorable featured UFC Hall of Famer Serra.

In September, Fabia was in Abu Dhabi ahead of Sanchez’s fight with Jake Matthews at UFC 253. While the focus should’ve been on the welterweight veteran’s upcoming bout, Fabia made his way to the headlines after approaching Serra in the hotel, appearing to have a gripe with how “The Terror” referred to him during an interview with Sanchez.

Thanks to the quick-thinking of Din Thomas, who was eating breakfast with Serra, the moment was captured, posted on social media, and later included in the next episode of Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight.

Now, following a bitter split with Sanchez, Fabia has spoken about his time in the UFC space and reflected on a number of incidents, including his run-in with Serra.

During an interview with Talkin’ MMA, the controversial former coach accused the UFC of manipulating the footage in order to make him look bad.

“Let’s go to the facts. You watch the video, there’s not one piece of that video (that is) out without it being controlled and directed, meaning they’e not letting you hear the full conversation, they’re not showing you unedited footage,” claimed Fabia. “They’ve gotta roll subtitles and roll over the sound, and tell you what’s going on. Well, that’s interesting.”

Discussing where his grudge with Serra originated from, Fabia recalled an interview Sanchez had with the former welterweight titleholder. Perhaps not doing much to improve the attention-seeking reputation some in the community placed on him, Fabia explained that his anger derived from the fact Serra wouldn’t say his name or discuss his school.

“All that’s really happening is, for a year before this, Diego had interviews, mandatorily by the UFC, he had to do an interview with Matt Serra, and this was before the Michel Pereira fight in Albuquerque,” recalled Fabia. “Basically, Diego is trying to talk about things about School of Self (Awareness), and Matt Serra isn’t hearing it. Diego’s saying my name, Diego’s saying School of Self, and Matt Serra just keeps saying, ‘Yeah, your cornerman.’ So he won’t say my f*cking name in the interview.

“So you wanna use my fighter for the content, the fighter’s trying to give you content, you don’t like the content, so now you’re shaping it on the show? That’s what I have a problem with,” asserted Fabia. “I have a problem with—you don’t wanna say coach, you don’t wanna say my name, you don’t wanna say what Diego’s learning, but you wanna slander me and use the show to talk sh*t and belittle me.”

Fabia: Serra & Thomas Didn’t Do Sh*t

While the viral video saw most fans and fighters praise Serra for how he handled himself after being randomly approached at his table, Fabia believes only one man lost the exchange, and doesn’t think that was him.

While physical aggression or escalation never looked on the cards, Fabia cited the fact that neither Serra nor Thomas stood up and ‘did sh*t’ as evidence that the pair were “scared.” The New Mexico native also claimed that the UFC moved Serra out of the hotel on Fight Island following the interaction.

“It’s laughable in my world. Nobody came to save Matt Serra, Matt Serra didn’t stand up and wanna do something, and six foot something Din Thomas didn’t do sh*t but hold the f*cking phone,” noted Fabia. “I’m quite aware of who was scared there, I’m quite aware of who got punked out there… I get very aware of who got punked out when Matt Serra gets moved to a different hotel and we never see him again. That’s the truth of that.”

It’s worth noting that the man Fabia believes he “scared” out of the hotel is a former MMA fighter who shared the cage with the likes of Georges St-Pierre, Frank Trigg, and BJ Penn, among other tough athletes, during a 12-year stint in the sport.

With that in mind, as well as the way Serra handled a troublemaker in a bar a few years back, many will suggest it would take a lot more than a back-and-forth with Fabia to draw fear out of “The Terror.”

What’s your take on Joshua Fabia’s belief that he “punked out” Matt Serra on Fight Island?

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Fabia Accuses UFC Of Sabotaging Sanchez: They Wanted To Retire Him

Diego Sanchez’s former coach and mentor Joshua Fabia has accused the UFC of attempting to set up a reason to retire the welterweight veteran during his latter years in the promotion. While coaches enter the spotlight and draw headlines for a number of reasons in MMA, whether for great corner work and training or for…

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Diego Sanchez’s former coach and mentor Joshua Fabia has accused the UFC of attempting to set up a reason to retire the welterweight veteran during his latter years in the promotion.

While coaches enter the spotlight and draw headlines for a number of reasons in MMA, whether for great corner work and training or for controversial corner tactics, not many have had as bizarre a presence in the sport’s limelight as the founder of the School of Self-Awareness.

Having formed a partnership with Fabia towards the back-end of his UFC career, the attitude of the MMA community towards Sanchez quickly went from one of admiration to one of concern.

As well as his cornering and training of “The Nightmare” coming under fire, Fabia was also criticized for multiple altercations he had with UFC figures. That included a verbal spat with Matt Serra and an awkward debate with the broadcast team during a fighter meeting, as well as recording conversations he had with matchmaker Sean Shelby and UFC executive Hunter Campbell.

After Fabia clashed with several individuals prior to Sanchez’s scheduled retirement fight with Donald Cerrone last year, the TUF 1 victor was released from the UFC and his partnership with Fabia came to a bitter end. Since the end of their relationship, Fabia has accused Sanchez of taking advantage of him.

Now, in an interview with Talkin’ MMA, the former coach has shone a light on what he perceived to be wrongdoing on the part of the UFC during Sanchez’s final fights in the Octagon.

At UFC 239 in 2019, Sanchez faced Michael Chiesa. Fabia highlighted the matchup as his first experience witnessing the promotion’s attempt to create an excuse for cutting Sanchez from the roster.

Citing the veteran’s busy schedule pre-fight and speech at the Hall of Fame ceremony, Fabia claimed the UFC did what it could to ensure Sanchez got his “ass kicked” on fight night, allowing them to move closer to being able to justify a release.

“First we do the morning weigh-in… Done. So we go from there, I think we had a few hours, I got to feed him, he got to take a small nap. Then, four o’clock, we’ve gotta be back at the mobile arena for the official weigh-in,” recalled Fabia. “So we get over there, we do the official weigh-in, and then literally go back to the hotel, change, don’t have time for food, and gotta go to the Hall of Fame ceremony. That goes on till like 11:30… Then I gotta feed him, he’s high on adrenaline of giving a speech. But he didn’t get to enjoy it, he didn’t get to go out.. He had to go to the hotel room and try to get his mind right for the fight the next day.

“The play is what? Get Diego to get his ass kicked so that we can retire him and it all makes sense. That’s what the play of the UFC was,” claimed Fabia. “That’s why all the odds are against him. This is all it was. The UFC’s been trying to get rid of Diego well before I came around. The old rule was lose (three) and you’re out. Diego was always losing one, losing two… he would never lose three in a row. Because he kept getting back in the win column, they didn’t have a proper reason to cut him… So, they tried to set it up. The best weigh to do that is you get finished, you get hurt bad.”

Sanchez went on to drop a comfortable unanimous decision to Chiesa. Fabia believes that set the ball rolling for the UFC’s goal to sabotage the New Mexico native’s place on the roster.

Fabia: UFC Wouldn’t Let Sanchez Fight Maia Or Pettis

Anthony Pettis

Discussing the months and years that followed the Chiesa loss, Fabia claimed that the promotion deliberately matched Sanchez up against 23 to 24-year-olds who boasted significant size and reach advantages, hoping to set “The Nightmare” on a losing streak.

“Look at what happened after Chiesa. Diego fought nothing but 23 and 24-year-olds. We’re talking 13-year difference. Guys with four to five-inch reach difference. This is just the situation that I was dealing with,” said Fabia. “And this is why nobody would give me credit for anything that I did, when Diego was supposed to get finished and hurt, and booted out of there. They just wanted to use me as the scapegoat, ‘Well that’s the reason, must be that guy.’ Not that you’re not giving him fair competition.”

After falling to defeat against Chiesa, Sanchez faced then-26-year-old Michel Pereira. Having had his hand raised following the Brazilian’s disqualification, Sanchez went on to share the cage with Jake Matthews, also aged 26 at the time, in what proved to be his final Octagon outing.

While he perhaps exaggerated the ages, later going on to describe them as ’20-year-old bucks’, Pereira and Matthews were a lot younger than the opponents Fabia and Sanchez had targeted.

According to the controversial coach, the UFC wouldn’t allow Sanchez to face either Demian Maia or Anthony Pettis, despite both verbally agreeing to face “The Nightmare.” Fabia sees that as more evidence that the UFC wanted to set up his former pupil with young opposition in order to ensure he’d be hurt and beaten.

“Diego didn’t get to fight Pettis, he didn’t get to fight Maia, and we had those fights lined up with those fighters. Somehow, someway, the UFC just wouldn’t let it happen,” Fabia continued. “Those would have been fights where you would’ve been able to see the things I was training Diego. It’s hard to see how much he’s learning when the size disadvantage, and he’s gonna look slow compared to a young 20-year-old buck.”

Now that his strange entanglement with Fabia is firmly in the rear-view mirror, Sanchez is looking to return to his old ways inside and outside the cage, something fans saw a glimpse of at Eagle FC 46 last month.

Against fellow former UFC fighter Kevin Lee, Sanchez put on an entertaining main event. While he fell short on the scorecards, “The Nightmare” certainly showed the “real Diego Sanchez,” as he put it in his post-fight interview.

What do you make of Joshua Fabia’s accusations against the UFC?

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Sanchez On MMA Future Following Eagle FC Loss: “This Is Just The Start”

Former UFC fighter Diego Sanchez seems optimistic about his fighting future despite a tough loss to Kevin Lee in his Eagle FC debut. Sanchez went toe-to-toe with the former UFC interim title challenger Lee at Eagle FC 46. He made his first appearance at 165 pounds after fighting at different weight classes throughout his career…

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Former UFC fighter Diego Sanchez seems optimistic about his fighting future despite a tough loss to Kevin Lee in his Eagle FC debut.

Sanchez went toe-to-toe with the former UFC interim title challenger Lee at Eagle FC 46. He made his first appearance at 165 pounds after fighting at different weight classes throughout his career in MMA.

Sanchez signed with Eagle FC following a controversial end to his UFC career. Despite being 40 years old, he showed up to fight week in good physical shape and challenged Lee in multiple facets of the bout.

In a post-fight interview with MMA journalist Helen Yee, Sanchez provided clarity on his future and sounded far from a defeated fighter.

“My body’s starting to feel better and I’m just coming into form,” Sanchez said. “I think this is just the start of the comeback. I got these two other fights, and I only got three weeks on the mitts with my new coach Frank Lester. So we’re going to put some work in, develop some styles, develop some concepts and principles on our own and we’re gonna do good. We’re gonna come back and be victorious.”

Sanchez is regarded as a pioneer in the sport after winning Season of The Ultimate Fighter. He has competed against some of the top fighters in the UFC, including BJ Penn and Gilbert Melendez.

Sanchez has two more fights left on his deal with Eagle FC and appears willing to fulfill the terms of the contract.

Sanchez suffered from a tough bout with COVID-19 and a split from controversial coach Joshua Fabia last year. However, he appears to be in good spirits ahead of his MMA return.

Who do you want to see Diego Sanchez fight next in Eagle FC?

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Diego Sanchez Vows To Continue Fighting For Eagle FC, Calls For Kevin Lee Rematch

Diego SanchezWith nearly two years out of the sport, Eagle FC has provided a new lease of life for the UFC hall of famer, Diego Sanchez (30-14 MMA). The 40-year-old veteran headlined the promotion’s first-ever super lightweight bout against former UFC lightweight contender Kevin Lee (19-7 MMA).  Despite falling short to Lee via a unanimous decision […]

Diego Sanchez

With nearly two years out of the sport, Eagle FC has provided a new lease of life for the UFC hall of famer, Diego Sanchez (30-14 MMA). The 40-year-old veteran headlined the promotion’s first-ever super lightweight bout against former UFC lightweight contender Kevin Lee (19-7 MMA). 

Despite falling short to Lee via a unanimous decision loss, Sanchez left the cage with his head held high, considering he was hospitalized with a serious case of COVID-19 just a few months ago.

The Ultimate Fighter Season One Champion seems to be more motivated than ever, promising his fans the real ‘Sanchez’ will return as he aims for redemption bout against Kevin Lee.

“When I come back for my second Eagle FC fight because I have two more fights on my contract, you’re going to see the real Diego Sanchez,” Sanchez continued. 

“You’re going to see me in my top physical prime condition and I’m gonna do anything and everything to get there and I’m gonna come and I’m gonna be victorious.”

Although ‘The Nightmare’ looked to have the 29-year-old’s leg hurt in the opening round of the fight. Kevin Lee managed to bounce back and dominate with his wrestling ability to earn himself the debut victory. 

Diego Sanchez is confident a rematch against Kevin Lee would end very differently

After assessing the 15-minutes spent with ‘The Motown Phenom’, Sanchez is confident he has found some faults in Lee’s overall game and believes with a longer training camp he would be able to expose them.

“Some people told me that they thought I won the second round, that it should have been 29-28, but like I said, this isn’t the best Diego Sanchez ever,” Sanchez revealed.

“I sucked it up and got it done. I got in the best shape I could in five weeks and coming out of retirement, coming out of the hospital.

“I’m not done here,” he added. “I still see that golden Eagle FC championship belt. I know what I’m capable of and I want to get back in there with Kevin Lee. That’s a fight I want. I want that fight, I want to fight him in my top, prime condition.

“I feel like I’ve seen what he has to bring to the table.” Sanchez added. “He couldn’t get me out of there. He threw everything he had at me and I found some chinks in his armor. I want to get back in there with Kevin Lee.” .” (Transcribed by Middleasy.com)

Do you think Diego Sanchez can make a title push within Eagle FC?

Kevin Lee Defeats Diego Sanchez Via Unanimous Decision- Eagle FC 46 Highlights

Kevin LeeKevin Lee and Diego Sanchez went toe to toe in their Eagle FC debuts. Lee was able to beat Sanchez via unanimous decision in a very competitive fight. Diego Sanchez came out of the gates ready to throw down with Kevin Lee. Sanchez invested in leg kicks and body kicks early in the fight. ‘The […]

Kevin Lee

Kevin Lee and Diego Sanchez went toe to toe in their Eagle FC debuts. Lee was able to beat Sanchez via unanimous decision in a very competitive fight.

Diego Sanchez came out of the gates ready to throw down with Kevin Lee. Sanchez invested in leg kicks and body kicks early in the fight. ‘The Motown Phenom’ was able to maintain distance with his striking and dictate where the fight took place throughout the first round.

‘The Nightmare’s investment in leg kicks paid off as Lee’s lead leg was compromised throughout the fight. The leg kicks forced Lee to switch stances in the second round.

Lee was able to overcome the adversity and was able to power through for a win in a competitive fight. Sanchez looked much better than he had in prior fights.