As if we did not know if it could get crazier, we have some new developments in the story of former UFC fighter and future Hall of famers Diego Sanchez and his Coach/Guru/Manager/Cornerman/ Super Bestie: Joshua Fabia.
You can check how downhill it went in my first post on that matter, it's a long and tiring story, and I can't promise you no drama.
The world of MMA is in turmoil, as the Ultimate Fighter winner and the sensei of "The School of Self Awareness" parted ways, and it went real dirty, real quick.
Like in most relationship, one person in the couple will always struggle a bit more than the other, start talking shit, some could perceive it as an act of despair, Joshua Fabia drops some bombs about Diego Sanchez, let's dive into what has been said.
The first allegation by his former coach/guru, is that Diego was using steroid during his high school years, and that it helped him win wrestling tournaments. Big fucking surprise, the world of Mixed Martial Art is filled with Steroid Users, and it's pretty obvious when looking at his physique during his Ultimate Fighters years, that he was still doing cycles.
To be fair, not to give him excuses, but EVERYONE IS ON STEROIDS in the fighting business (even your favourite fighter), especially in the early years of UFC when USADA was more lenient when someone pissed hot.
This one might be harder to believe , this is what Joshua claims:
“So, this moment happens where the Nevada State Athletic Commission comes in and leans on Diego (Sanchez), and he has to throw a f*cking fight,”
“Now, I have them recorded… You go watch the fight (with Michael Chiesa), and it’s the only fight in Diego Sanchez’s history that he never threw a punch.“
source: Behind The Scenes with Summer Helene
As mentioned previously, fighting is a dirty business, and I am convinced that some fights are being "worked". I wouldn't be surprised if Diego threw some, it would explain his longevity, these guys don't always make much for a fight, and going down in exchange of a few extra fights and a nice paycheck on the side, I am pretty sure that Diego wouldn't mind that, Kratom ain't cheap after all.
While this one is hard to verify, I can totally buy it as Diego surprisingly did not throw a strike against him, and went for a takedown (against a wrestler), but the UFC did not enjoy Joshua's claim and are already counter attacking with a threat of suing him for defamation
"Diego has been an addict. He hasn't told anybody for the past five months. I was his sponsor, living with him. I had to live there because he was broke and lost all his money and was strong out on kratom and alcohol and thirty other substances, that he had sexual abuse issues - no, no, he didn't say any of that, and I have been holding up all this. I've been doing everything, and everyone's coming at me,"
Alright, this is getting dark 😁, Joshua is doing him dirty now, washing their dirty laundry in public. this is free for all, and beware of the crazy ex, that will expose your darkest secrets to the world.
That's a low blow, but it's not really surprising that Joshua would take down that path, he will drag his former fighter in the mud as long as the spotlight stays on him, and that journalists give him a microphone.
it's however not too hard to imagine Diego Sanchez abusing any kind of substances:
Again, fighters are flawed individuals, probably more than your average athlete, and the most outrageous stories have emerged throughout the years about your favourite fighters, this is these flaws that make their stories more interesting to follow, and the very same imperfections feeding into their narrative of violence. From Jon Jones coke binge and reckless driving, to Bj Penn's recent bar fights, they all contribute to the lore that we creating around fighters. Fighters like to fight, and do stupid shits, big surprise!
All in all, I am still trying to figure out how a trained killer, with 15 years of professional fighting experience, got conned by a man with no real fighting background, and with techniques resembling more of a choreography than actual fighting.
At the end of the day, Diego seems to be an "All or Nothing" type of person, which I can understand, and would explain how he gave power to his guru/trainer and followed each of his advices with a blind faith.
What did Joshua get out of it? Certainly a lot of attention for his "School of Self Awarness", even if I doubt that he will find people interested to buy in his Mcdojo fake martial art, people like him needs to be singled out, and confronted to their bullshit, maybe with a real fight. The entire internet is willing to fight him now apparently 😄.
What will Diego do now? Well...There's actually some recent development.
In a recent interview, the UFC owner talked about his relationship with Diego:
“I haven’t really paid attention to any of that,”
“I don’t care what that guy says. This is one of those things, I was just telling the media the other day, every time you guys ask me about the Triller guys. It’s like come on, you want a reaction from me. That’s what you’re looking for.
I feel the same way about this kid [Joshua Fabia]. All you guys know this kid’s batsh*t nuts and whatever. If Diego needs me, just like the last however many years, Diego’s never been that needy guy. I did see where he came out and said ‘I’ve been trying to talk to Dana for …’ — Diego Sanchez can pick up the phone and call me. Any of those TUF kids.
Diego will always have a special place in Dana's heart, especially as his first Ultimate Fighter Winner, 14 years in the company, while I am not entirely sure if he could get one last retirement fight, it's very probable that Dana could offer him a job like he did with Forrest Griffin, having him work at the Apex or the performance institute, and that's all we wish for this legend!
Everybody loves Diego! What do you think he should do?
