Last fight
UFC 253
Win
Sanchez vs Matthews
Sep. 26, 2020
UFC Spotlight
Stats & Records
10
Wins by Knockout
6
Wins by Submission
13
Wins by Decision
Significant Strikes include all strikes at distance, plus power strikes in the clinch and on the ground.
Striking accuracy
- Sig. Strikes Landed
- 1120
- Sig. Strikes Attempted
- 2954
A takedown is awarded when a fighter deliberately grapples an opponent to the ground and establishes an advantageous position for an appreciable amount of time.
Takedown Accuracy
- Takedowns Landed
- 31
- Takedowns Attempted
- 175
- Sig. Str. Defense is the percentage of significant strikes attempted against a fighter that do not land.
- Takedown defense is the percentage of takedowns attempted against a fighter that do not land.
- Knockdown Avg. is the average number of knockdowns per 15 Minutes window.
Sig. Str. by target
athlete record
Info
Status
Not Fighting
Place of Birth
Albuquerque, United States
Trains at
Joel Diaz Boxing
Fighting style
MMA
Age
41
Height
70.00
Weight
170.00
Octagon Debut
Apr. 9, 2005
Reach
72.50
Leg reach
40.00
Fighter Facts
- Won three of his last five fights
- Received his black belt in BJJ in October of 2013 from Roberto Tussa
- Winner of the middleweight division of The Ultimate Fighter’s first season
- Won first 19 fights.
- Fought at 185, 170, 155 and 145 pounds in the UFC
UFC History
UFC 253 (9/27/20) Sanchez lost a three round unanimous decision to Jake Matthews
UFC Fight Night (2/15/20) Sanchez defeated Michel Pereira via disqualification (illegal knee) at 3:09 of the third round
UFC 239 (7/6/19) Sanchez lost a three round unanimous decision to Michael Chiesa
UFC 235 (3/2/19) Sanchez stopped Mickey Gall via strikes at 4:13 of the second round
UFC 228 (9/8/18) Sanchez won a three round unanimous decision over Craig White
UFC Fight Night (11/11/17) Sanchez was knocked out by Matt Brown at 3:44 of the first round
UFC Fight Night (4/22/17) Sanchez was knocked out by Al Iaquinta at 1:38 of the first round
UFC Fight Night (11/5/16) Sanchez won a three round unanimous decision over Marcin Held
UFC 200 (7/9/16) Sanchez was stopped by Joe Lauzon via strikes at :26 of the first round
UFC 196 (3/5/16) Sanchez won a three round unanimous decision over Jim Miller
UFC Fight Night (11/21/15) Sanchez lost a three round unanimous decision to Ricardo Lamas
UFC Fight Night (6/7/14) Sanchez won a three round split decision over Ross Pearson
UFC 171 (3/15/14) Sanchez lost a three round unanimous decision to Myles Jury
UFC 166 (10/19/13) Sanchez lost a three round unanimous decision to Gilbert Melendez
UFC on FUEL TV (3/3/13) Sanchez won a three round split decision over Takanori Gomi
UFC on FUEL TV (2/15/12) Sanchez lost a three round unanimous decision to Jake Ellenberger
UFC Live (3/3/11) Sanchez won a three round unanimous decision over Martin Kampmann
UFC 121 (10/23/10) Sanchez won a three round unanimous decision over Paulo Thiago
UFC 114 (5/29/10) Sanchez lost a three round unanimous decision to John Hathaway.
UFC 107 (12/12/09) Sanchez was stopped via cuts by BJ Penn at 2:37 of the fifth round in a bout for the UFC lightweight championship.
TUF 9 Finale (6/20/09) Sanchez scored a three round split decision win over Clay Guida
UFC 95 (2/21/09) Sanchez scored a three round unanimous decision over Joe Stevenson
TUF 7 Finale (6/21/08) Sanchez stopped Luigi Fioravanti with strikes at 4:07 of the third round.
UFC 82 (3/1/08) Sanchez secured a submission due to strikes victory over David Bielkheden at 4:43 of the first round.
UFC 76 (9/22/07) Sanchez lost a three round split decision to Jon Fitch.
UFC 69 (4/7/07) Sanchez lost a three round unanimous decision to Josh Koscheck.
UFC Fight Night (12/13/06) Sanchez scored a stunning knockout over Joe Riggs at 1:45 of the first round.
UFC Fight Night (8/17/06) Sanchez won the biggest fight of his MMA career by decisioning Karo Parisyan over three rounds in one of the best bouts of 2006.
UFC 60 (5/27/06) Sanchez scored a unanimous decision victory over veteran John Alessio.
Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale (11/05/05) Diego won an exciting unanimous decision over Nick Diaz.
UFC 54 (8/20/05) Diego defeated dangerous striker Brian Gassaway by submission due to strikes at 1:56 of the second round.
Ultimate Fighter Finale (4/9/05) Diego defeated Kenny Florian by TKO due to strikes on the ground in 2:49 of the first round to become the Middleweight Ultimate Fighter winner.
The Ultimate Fighter, Season 1
On episode 4 Diego choked out Alex Karalexis in the first round.
On episode 8 Diego choked out Josh Rafferty in the first round.
On episode 11 Diego won a hard fought three round split decision over teammate Josh Koscheck to advance to the finals.
Q&A
TRAINING: My typical training day is a full day at Jackson's gym, training with heavyweights and lightweights to get strength and speed, and a ton of BJJ in the gi at Gracie Barra NM.
When and why did you start training for fighting? I started karate lessons at nine years old. Years of martial arts training aided my athletic pursuits at Del Norte High School as a wrestler and on the high school gridiron as a linebacker. In my senior year in 2000, I won the state championship in the 152 lb weight class and etched my name amongst the best ever grapplers in school history.
What ranks and titles have you held? I am a black belt in Gaidojutsu and the former KOTC Welterweight Champion. I have also won multiple grappling championships. Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The Ultimate Fighter season one winner.
Do you have any heroes? Rickson Gracie.
What is your favorite technique? Rear naked choke.
What was your job before you started fighting? I worked at UPS.
