Whether he was “The Nightmare” or “The Dream,” maybe no fighter in UFC history was more eccentric and exciting in the cage than Diego Sanchez.
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For over 15 years, Sanchez was constant entertainment and excitement for UFC fans. Regardless of weight class or opponent, Sanchez was guaranteed to leave everything he had in the cage. To this day, Sanchez has fought 44 times in the sport of mixed martial arts, with 32 fights in the UFC. Over half of his wins have come by knockout or submission. If his fight did go to a decision, win or lose, there was a good chance it was going to be “Fight of the Night.” Overall, Sanchez has had a legendary MMA career and there are many things all MMA fans should know about the original Ultimate Fighter.
10 First TUF Winner
When the first season of The Ultimate Fighter is talked about, usually Forrest Griffin’s win against Stephan Bonnar is discussed since it was one of the best fights in UFC history. However, Diego Sanchez also won the first season of the reality competition.
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At the first Ultimate Fighter finale, Sanchez defeated former UFC title challenger Kenny Florian to win the middleweight tournament. Since Sanchez’s fight took place prior to the legendary bout between Griffin and Bonnar, Sanchez was the first fighter to ever win the competition.
9 He Beat Nick Diaz
During his six-fight winning streak at the start of his UFC career, Sanchez’s most notable win came against former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz.
In 2005, at The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale, Sanchez defeated Diaz by unanimous decision. Diaz struggled during his first tenure in the UFC. The loss to Sanchez started a three-fight losing streak for the future UFC title contender. Diaz would later leave the UFC and find major success in other promotions before returning to the UFC in 2012.
8 Yes! Chant
Professionally wrestling fans are accustomed to hearing people chant, “Yes!” These chants became famous in the WWE due to the success of Daniel Bryan, who currently wrestles in AEW as Bryan Danielson. However, the wrestling champion started doing the chant because of Diego Sanchez.
In 2009, Sanchez moved to the lightweight division. In a fight against former title challenge Joe Stevenson, Sanchez yelled, “Yes” repeatedly as he walked to the cage. According to Sanchez, he started doing the chant because of Tony Robbins, an author, and motivational speaker.
7 Clay Guida Fight
One of the biggest wins of Sanchez’s career came at the season nine finale of The Ultimate Fighter. In 2009, Sanchez earned a decision victory against Clay Guida.
Not only did Sanchez and Guida earn “Fight of the Night” honors for their classic bout, but they also won numerous “Fight of the Year” awards. In 2019, the three-round fight between Sanchez and Guida was inducted into the fight wing of the UFC Hall of Fame. In the end, the fight stands the test of time and is one of the most exciting bouts to ever take place in the octagon.
6 Title Fight
After going on a four-fight win streak, highlighted by lightweight wins against Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida, Sanchez received an opportunity at the UFC Lightweight Championship.
In late 2009, at UFC 107, Sanchez fought then-UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn. Sanchez fought hard for five rounds, but in the final round of the fight, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. Penn earned the TKO after landing a devastating head kick that created a deep cut on Sanchez’s head. While the fight did not stop immediately, it did lead to the referee stopping the fight later on.
5 Four Weight Classes
Throughout his 15-year UFC tenure, Sanchez competed in four different weight classes, which is the record for competing in the most weight classes in UFC history.
In his UFC debut, Sanchez competed as a middleweight when he won The Ultimate Fighter. Sanchez immediately dropped to the welterweight division, where the majority of his career has taken place. In his 22nd MMA fight, Sanchez dropped to the 155-pound division where he found his most success. In 2015, in an attempt to rejuvenate his career, Sanchez dropped to the featherweight division in a losing effort to former UFC title contender Ricardo Lamas. Following the loss, Sanchez went back to fighting in heavier weight classes.
4 Award Winner
Sanchez’s hall-of-fame bout against Clay Guida is not the only fight where Sanchez received awards due to his entertaining performance. Throughout his UFC career, Sanchez has won numerous “Fight of the Night” awards.
In the UFC, Sanchez won seven “Fight of the Night” awards. This ties him for second all-time with fighters such as former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar, Joe Lauzon, and Edson Barboza. Along with the bout with Guida, Sanchez’s fights against Karo Parisyan, Joe Stevenson, Paulo Thiago, Martin Kampmann, Jake Ellenberger, and Gilbert Melendez all won “Fight of the Night.” Sanchez’s fight against Melendez in 2013 also won numerous “Fight of the Year” awards.
3 The Shermanator
After having a successful MMA career, Sanchez has done quite a bit to give back to the MMA community. In 2017, Sanchez competed in an exhibition bout against "The Shermanator" Isaac Marquez, a man who was born with Down syndrome.
Marquez had the dream of competing in a real MMA bout. He began training at the famous Jackson Wink MMA Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico where Sanchez also trained. Sanchez began training with Marquez and agreed to compete against him at a Jackson Wink MMA event. Sanchez allowed Marquez to get the win. Marquez submitted Sanchez with an armbar in the first round.
2 17-Fight Win Streak
Sanchez’s MMA career started with an impressive 17-fight win streak. This win steak included the first six fights of Sanchez’s UFC tenure.
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Overall, Sanchez’s first 10 fights ended with a knockout or submission win. His final fight outside the UFC was a title win against Jorge Santiago, who would later fight for UFC and Strikeforce. Sanchez won the King of the Cage Welterweight Championship. To this day, this is the only title win of Sanchez’s career.
1 Joshua Fabia
Towards the end of Sanchez’s UFC tenure, his career took a strange turn when he began working with MMA coach Joshua Fabia.
Sanchez began training with Fabia in 2019. The two worked together for the last four fights of Sanchez’s UFC run. During this time, Fabia was critical of the UFC treatment of Sanchez and himself. Videos were also released that showed Fabia chasing his fighters with a knife in his gym. After winning and losing two fights during his last four UFC appearances, the UFC released Sanchez from his contract. In 2021, Sanchez parted ways with Fabia. In 2022, Sanchez lost a decision to fellow former UFC fighter Kevin Lee at an Eagle Fighting Championship event.
