Watching from the outside looking in, it was hard not to wonder why Diego Sanchez worked with Joshua Fabia for so long, given how obvious it seemed to most people, that he was unqualified. Now Diego is finally opening up on that relationship, and why he worked with the so-called guru.
It was hard to feel anything but concern about Sanchez and his relationship with Fabia, as fans saw the School of Self Awareness mentor lead the TUF 1 winner to be cut by the UFC. This only grew when more information about Joshua was revealed, showing bizarre training methods, and arguments with UFC staff.
Speaking in a recent video on Instagram Live, Diego opened up about his relationship with Joshua, and why he decided to work with the inexperienced coach to begin with. He also said that he knew now that Joshua was only interested in what was in the best interests for himself, and not Diego.
“I trained my ass off for ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone. I was ready to get in there and go to war, because that was going to be my last fight, my big last hurrah in the UFC. Man, I put everything into that training camp. I was ready to go and I passed all my medicals, I passed everything — I did MRI, MRA, they did everything. I’m perfectly fine,” Sanchez said (h/t MMAFighting).
“And the reason why it ended the way it did with UFC, that has other implications, that’s other stuff. That’s Joshua Fabia and f—king with the medicals and just pushing all the wrong buttons at the UFC, working his ass off to get whatever was best for his intentions, not what was best for Diego Sanchez.
“I believe my mentor was guiding me in what was best for him,” Sanchez added. “And what was best for him was to try to figure out a way to get a settlement with the UFC. He knew that if there was a major settlement with the UFC, that I was going to hook him up with half, because it was all his idea, it was all his plan. He was masterminding everything. And I made the mistake of following a mentor that I thought had a stronger connection to God than me.”
Diego Sanchez and Dana White Are On the Mend
When Diego Sanchez was being released by the UFC, Dana White made it clear that he did not hold Joshua Fabia in a high opinion. He called out the trainer for trying to get access to Diego’s medical records, seemingly in an attempt to sue the UFC, and did not have any kind words to say about Joshua or how he has treated Diego.
Dana said that his door was open for Diego if he wanted to talk, and it seems that they have done just that. Diego explained that he and Dana have since talked and mended their relationship.
“Me and Dana, we’ve been talking. We’re cool,” Sanchez said. “We mended. Dana told me, ‘I got nothing but love and respect for you, Diego Sanchez.’ So in the future I’d like to meet up with Dana and give him a handshake and tell him thank you for everything that the UFC did for me, giving me all of these great opportunities. If I didn’t have the UFC, I would’ve have been able to build the brand that is the Diego Sanchez legacy.”
Diego has said that he plans on getting evaluated and monitored by health professionals, but that is not the only person he wishes to work with. He explained that he plans on opening up more about his experience with Fabia when he can speak with someone who understands the manipulatory ways of his former trainer.
“I will get into it sometime,” Sanchez said, “but it ain’t gonna be free and it ain’t gonna be on Instagram, and it’s going to be with a professional that understands mental manipulation.”
It seems that Diego Sanchez will spend the last chapter of his career boxing, now that he is no longer with the UFC. There are still some questions regarding whether or not he should still be fighting after his years of wars, but fans can at least sleep better at night knowing that he will not be trained by Joshua Fabia.
