Issue 136

December 2015

MMA legend Diego Sanchez picks out the moments that defined him as one of MMA’s true warriors.

1. Born to fight – "Football Jock," Del Norte High School, Albuquerque, New Mexico (1998)

Even though he’s tied with Frankie Edgar for the most UFC ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus awards – seven checks cashed during his decade-long Octagon career – Diego’s first pick for his selection of his most prominent scraps actually happened long before he even made his professional debut in the cage. In fact, he was still a teenager at high school.

“I got into a fight with one of the guys from the football team,” he reveals to Fighters Only. “He was a lot bigger than me, but I came out with the victory that night. I already knew I was a good fighter and a good wrestler, but that night I knew I was a warrior and there was something different about me.” 

2. There will be blood – Michael Johnson, Ring of Fire 5 (06/21/02)

Sanchez’s first ever mixed martial arts contest also remains one of his favorites. Fighting in Denver, Colorado, Diego faced fellow debutant, Michael Johnson (not the current UFC lightweight), and scored a rear naked choke submission deep into the opening round. From there, he was hooked.

“I’ll never forget my first professional fight. I got introduced to a straight right punch in the opening five seconds, which bust my nose. I remember thinking I couldn’t let the guy kick my ass, so I fought like hell and got the submission. Afterwards I asked Greg Jackson, ‘Is this really what I want to do for a living?’” Clearly it was, because more than 13 years have passed and he’s still in the game.

3. The Ultimate Fighter – Kenny Florian, The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale (04/09/05)

While Forrest Griffin’s clash with Stephan Bonnar receives all the plaudits for setting the UFC on the road to becoming a global sporting phenomenon, Sanchez’s middleweight tournament victory over Kenny Florian at the conclusion of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter was equally as poignant – at least for the protagonist. The ‘Nightmare’ won by TKO to earn a coveted six-figure contract.

Diego says: “The Kenny Florian fight changed my life – TUF changed all our lives. A lot of people watched the show so everywhere I would go someone would recognize me and of course it led to a career in the UFC.”

4. True warrior – Martin Kampmann, UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann (03/03/11)

“The Martin Kampmann fight also changed my life. I was going through a lot at that time and I had a bad weight cut,” Sanchez recalls. “I had to cut 14lb the morning of the weigh-in. He beat me up in the first round, he was hitting me with some really clean Danish kickboxing. I was hurt when I went back to my corner and they told me I had to make it a street fight and not go back only forward. 

“I told them, ‘I got this,’ and something in my head just clicked. I didn’t care about the cut on my face, all I cared about was taking him out. I was able to rally and steal the decision in the judges’ eyes. In that moment we were both hurt, I felt like I was a machine, a warrior, and I was born for this. Even after when my face was mangled, I embraced it and I just loved it.”

5. For the fans – Gilbert Melendez, UFC 166 (10/19/13)

Sanchez says: “I know the history books show this fight as a loss, but I think I won this fight – and so did the crowd in Houston. I would have loved to go two more rounds, as I know I had him in the third round. But the crowd loved it and I loved it, and that’s what it’s all about.”

And boy did we love it. Like he’d done so many times before, Sanchez went toe-to-toe with ‘El Nino.’ He showed incredible heart and tenacity to fight through some unbelievable punishment and a gaping gash above his eye to the third round, where he almost pulled off an incredible upset by flooring his opponent with a brain-melting uppercut. 

This lightweight clash will forever be remembered as one of the wildest slugfests in the history of MMA.

Original TUF guy: UFC’s last man standing

Of the 16 cast members who appeared on the original, groundbreaking season of The Ultimate Fighter, Sanchez is the only contestant who’s still fighting in the Octagon, following Mike Swick’s retirement from competition in July this year.