Diego Sanchez
Diego Sanchez (born December 31, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes on the Super Lightweight division of Eagle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2002, Sanchez is most known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he won the Middleweight tournament of The Ultimate Fighter 1. He has also formerly competed for King of the Cage, where he was the Welterweight Champion.
| Diego Sanchez | |
|---|---|
Diego Sanchez in 2009 | |
| Born | December 31, 1981 Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Nickname | The Nightmare |
| Residence | Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb) |
| Division |
|
| Reach | 72 in (183 cm) |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Fighting out of | Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Team | Jackson Wink MMA Academy (2002–2007, 2010–2019) |
| Rank | Black belt in Gaidojutsu Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Roberto Tussa |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 44 |
| Wins | 30 |
| By knockout | 10 |
| By submission | 6 |
| By decision | 13 |
| By disqualification | 1 |
| Losses | 14 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By decision | 10 |
| University | |
| Notable school(s) | Del Norte High School |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Sanchez has been involved in more "Fight of the Year" bouts than any other fighter in mixed martial arts; his first was against Karo Parisyan at UFC Fight Night 6, and then again against Clay Guida at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale (which culminated into a title shot against then-UFC Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn, where the two headlined UFC 107), and finally against Gilbert Melendez at UFC 166.
Sanchez is one of two fighters to have competed in four different weight classes in the UFC: Middleweight, Welterweight, Lightweight, and Featherweight; the other being Kenny Florian.