Diego Sanchez believes Nate Diaz won’t fight him because he beat his brother Nick Diaz.
In 2005, Sanchez took on the older Diaz brother in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 Finale. The fight went to a decision, and the New Mexico native emerged victorious. Seventeen years later, ‘The Nightmare’ is looking to fight the younger Diaz brother but believes the 2005 win is holding him back. He had this to say during an interview with MMA Junkie:
“Nate won’t fight me ’cause I beat his bigger brother. He idolizes his bigger brother in this weird way, and I’ve been trying to fight Nate for 10 years. But if this performance [against Austin Trout] can be so epic and so powerful and so dominant, and it will be, I have a chance at snagging that Nate Diaz fight. That’s always the fight I wanted ’cause if I beat Nate, I’m the first fighter to ever beat both Diaz brothers.”
Diaz is finally free of his UFC contract but seems to be potentially looking for bigger names to fight, including Jake Paul, Floyd Mayweather, and Conor McGregor. Meanwhile, Sanchez has a statement to make in his bare-knuckle debut against Austin Trout in the co-main event of Knuckle Mania 3.
Watch Diego Sanchez’s interview with MMA Junkie below:
Diego Sanchez sends a warning to Austin Trout
Diego Sanchez is fighting former WBA light middleweight champion Austin Trout in a bare-knuckle fight on February 17. Although there has been some concern for Sanchez, the former UFC lightweight title challenger is extremely confident. He had this to say about Trout during the same interview with MMA Junkie:
“Let’s get one thing straight on this interview right now. Austin Trout is not from New Mexico. Austin Trout was born in El Paso, Texas. He’s a Texan, so let’s not say this is New Mexico vs. New Mexico… He’s coming to my city, man. Good luck, Austin. Good luck, bro. Did you forget that it’s hard to fight in Albuquerque? There’s altitude, and it’s a pressure city. If you come from out of town, you usually get dusted, you usually get burnt out here. I’m undefeated here for a reason, and I run those mountains still. “
Sanchez parted ways with the UFC in 2020, ending his fifteen-year run with a promotional record of 19-13. The 41-year-old returned to action in 2022, losing a unanimous decision against Kevin Lee at Eagle FC 46. Eagle FC ended up halting their North American expansion, leading to ‘The Nightmare’ signing with BKFC. Only time will tell if he can rejuvenate his fighting career against Trout on February 17.
