Diego Sanchez Responds To Criticisms Of DQ Win
Diego Sanchez got a disqualification win over Michael Pereira over the weekend. Now he responds to the critics of his performance, and those who question his toughness.
There is no doubt that Diego Sanchez is one of the most wild fighters to step foot in the Octagon. However, there were some questions about his mental state after his fight at UFC Rio Rancho. After handily losing the first two rounds, he was hit with an illegal knee on the ground. In what many considered uncharacteristic for the original TUF winner, he opted to stop fighting, allowing for a DQ victory instead of finishing the bout.
Following this decision, some people were critical of Diego Sanchez, saying that he quit. Now he decided to take to Instagram, with a lengthy post to respond to these critics.
This is what he had to say:
“Notice the picture was the last picture before fight was ruled a DQ aside from the Cut sustained for the illegal blow my face looks clean as F, aside from the cut sustained by the illegal knee?! Maybe due to my opponents lack of awareness he lost control and did not recognize I went down from knee to the ribs that broke two ribs. He delivered a kill blow too my head with so much force! Who had to take that head damage me. It was not a glancing blow it was flush with full power and connection! It split my wig & The scar will be with me forever!
So for me to continue to compete in this head space makes me a coward? No it makes me a #wiseman maybe you should re watch the fight with no sound and witness the improvements in defense and movement when faced against the odds as is! fighting a 26 year old super athletic goliath that out weighs me by 20lbs has 5 inches in reach 5 inches in height, let’s add a uncanny ability to jump and deliver knees. This challenges my ability to get in for a shot, the game has evolved people it’s 2020 not 1996!”
Sanchez went on to take aim at Daniel Cormier and Trevor Whitman who were critical of him and his corner during the broadcast.
“@dc_mma 50 seconds in you and Trevor Wittman @twittman2 start poisonings the mind of the nation wide cast with your this is hard to watch and strange when I’m not taking damage. Protecting myself while still fighting a man who was not willing to stay the pocket and fight with me. I was sentenced to death in my own back yard, why isn’t anyone seeing this? Notice pereira got a three song custom champion only walk out song for his dance walk out? as if he was @stylebender or Jonathan Jones? This is not normal behavior by @ufc then @mikebisping hyping him up the dancing the flips OMG! Why the push is it @wwe now? All I know is the scar is for life and so is the Win! That makes 31 ufc fights in row why isn’t anyone saying that? It’s kinda some legend shit I’m doing.”
Diego concluded by thanking Conor McGregor for a now-deleted tweet saying the two should fight. Although it was likely a joke, Sanchez did not take it that way.
“Well at least the highest paid top tier fight IQ athlete and legendary champion @thenotoriousmma is not blinded by the smear campaign against me my coach manager and mentor @joshuafabiaknowbody & his company @schoolofselfawareness by the media and others?! Thank you @thenotoriousmma you are a wise man too. It’s been 6 years since we put each others names in our destiny”
Diego Sanchez has been fighting for a very long time, and is the last remaining fighter from that first season of TUF. While MiddleEasy does not have the right to tell a fighter when it is time to hang it up, there have been a lot of concerning things surrounding his recent career. Between this performance, and his lack of structured training recently, one can only hope has people actively looking after his best interests.
