UFC 135: Diego Sanchez Talks to B/R About God, Marriage and GSP vs. Condit

No one has ever doubted the talent or heart of UFC welterweight contender Diego Sanchez. He burst onto the UFC scene as the eccentric, undersized middleweight on Season 1 of The Ultimate Fighter.

It was very apparent back then that the only thing that could hold Sanchez back was Sanchez himself.

To say he seemed a little "off" would be putting it mildly. Upon closer inspection, however, fans began to see a deeply religious man who had a true passion for the sport. Diego quickly wowed us with his talent, storming through the tournament on his way to defeating Kenny Florian in season finale, earning himself a six-figure contract in the process.

Sanchez had a perfect 11-0 record before trying out for The Ultimate Fighter and had just defeated Jorge Santiago for the King of the Cage welterweight championship in his last bout outside of the UFC. The sky was the limit for the Greg Jackson-trained fighter who immediately made the drop to a more natural 170 pounds shortly after defeating Florian.

He would go on to run his record to 17-0 before suffering back-to-back losses to Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch. In actuality, the trouble began after Sanchez defeated Joe Riggs in December of 2006, as he tested positive for marijuana following the fight and was suspended for three months. He also suffered a huge scare when it was thought he had contracted Hepatitis C before his bout with Koscheck. Thankfully, it was only a severe staph infection, but it certainly hindered his performance against his former housemate.

He then dropped down to lightweight and moved to San Diego where he would train with Saulo and Xande Ribeiro. He left the Jackson camp due to the arrival of welterweight stalwart Georges St-Pierre. The drop down to 155 pounds wasn’t all bad, as he defeated Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida to earn a shot at BJ Penn’s lightweight title at UFC 107. Sanchez was beaten to a pulp until the bout was halted in the fifth round due to a huge cut on his forehead. Sanchez once again decided to change weight classes, this time moving back up to welterweight.

The Diego Sanchez that fights today is not very similar to the Diego Sanchez who first came to the UFC in 2005. He has begun to make the right decisions based upon what is best for his career, rather than letting himself be guided largely by his emotions. For one, he has found his way back to the Jackson camp and has changed his nickname from “Nightmare” to "Dream." At 29 years old is in his physical prime and knows what he has to do to make the climb toward welterweight supremacy.

“It’s been a long road for me, with a lot of ups and downs,” Sanchez told Bleacher Report. “Thankfully there have been more ups than there have been downs. For me, what brings me down has only made me stronger because of it.”

Sanchez has never tried to hide the fact that he had a deep faith in God; he displays that during his entrance to the Octagon as well as in his post-fight interviews. It can be a powerful ally to have on your side and Sanchez is truly grateful for the opportunity to live out his dream

“I’m 29 years old, I just got married,” said Sanchez. “I have totally changed my lifestyle from where I was always going out and partying and living the life of a bachelor. That didn’t get me where I wanted to be. I found a great woman, and God blessed me with an amazing woman. I totally changed my life and rededicated it to Jesus Christ. This time I am not just talking the talk, but I am also walking the walk. I live for God and my family.”

Making his way back to Greg Jackson was probably the third-best decision Sanchez made. No matter who his opponent may be, Sanchez knows that he will be able to find the appropriate training partners at Jackson’s camp. He knows the talent is so deep that if he can survive practice, then he can survive anyone the UFC puts in front of him.

“I am in the best training camp with the best training partners,” offered Sanchez. “I’m actually hanging out with Jon Jones right now; we spar every Tuesday and Thursday. He may fight two weight classes higher than I do, but we get our rounds in. I have the most amazing training camp and coaches. I know if I come in healthy and dedicated, I have a great team willing to do whatever is necessary to make me a better fighter.

"Coming back to Jackson was my destiny," Sanchez continued. "I had hit a real low and God humbled me. I had to come back home to my family, New Mexico and to where the people who truly love me were at. Greg had always had an open door for me and as soon as I came back Greg was waiting for me with a great big old hug and said to me it’s about time, it’s about time.

"I love being here, the energy, the culture, the mountains, the lightning storms, I love it all. I want to show my fans what happens when you are focused and what God will do for you if you are walking the narrow path.”

Although Sanchez will no longer be fighting Matt Hughes this Saturday, he still had some nice things to say about the nine-time UFC welterweight champion. Sanchez understands just what Hughes has meant to the UFC and the sport as a whole. That being said, don’t mistake Sanchez's respect for anything other than that—in his mind, he is capable of beating Hughes at anytime.

“I have a ton of respect for Matt,” Sanchez pointed out. “He is a very blessed and naturally gifted fighter. I feel in my heart that I am more of a warrior than Hughes. I have more fight inside of me and I feel as though I have what it takes to have a dominant win over him.”

Sanchez has won his last two fights against Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann, earning a "Fight of the Night" bonus in both. When he entered the Octagon against Kampmann, he did not look like the Diego Sanchez we had become accustomed to seeing fight over the years. He was bloated and even had love handles that exceeded over his shorts.

"I was thankful for the fight with Kampmann,” Sanchez said excitedly. “I was thankful for the cuts, I was thankful because I found something inside of my heart that I knew was there, but I had never tapped into it. I found this warrior's spirit, an old school warrior within me. I was prepared to put it all on the line, I didn’t care that I was bleeding out of five different places on my face, I didn’t care.

"I had no worry about him knocking me out. All I had on my mind was that I was gunning for him and I was going to take him out. A switch went off in my head and I learned how to fight differently. I was able to tap into a different part of me. For the longest time I would only focus on either BJJ [Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu] or wrestling. Now I train full mixed martial arts.”

Two of the fighters who train with Greg Jackson are current UFC No. 1 welterweight contender Carlos Condit, and the man Condit will face at UFC 137 for the title, Georges St-Pierre. The old Sanchez may have had a problem sharing a camp with two other top welterweights, but today he realizes the advantages that come along with having such a solid stable of fighters.

“I am the smallest guy there,” said Sanchez. “I fight every single day with nothing but middleweights, light heavyweights and heavyweights. Some of these training sessions have become legendary. It’s basically 'Diego & Goliath' when I am in there fighting these guys who are much bigger than I am. I go in there and fight with all my heart; it makes me stronger and much more confident.”

Although Sanchez sees having other top fighters in his division as a benefit, there has to be some thought in the back of his mind that he may have to do battle with one of them in the future. As we have seen with Jones and Rashad Evans, fighting a teammate doesn’t always have a happy ending.

“Let me clear this up real quick: GSP is not a part of my team, he is a part of Tri-Star,” Sanchez stated emphatically. “Greg is more of an adviser to GSP; he may be here one week out of the year. When he’s here, he doesn’t train with me or Condit. Greg has come up with a game plan should teammates have to fight one another.

"We will split training partners and take it from there. Carlos and I have said we will cross that bridge when we come to it. There are too many good fighters at 170 that I have yet to fight. I would like rematches with Fitch and Koscheck. It’s all in the hands of the UFC, they are going to make matches that sell. I wish nothing but the best for Carlos, if we have to fight then so be it, but that’s a long way off right now.”

There is one thing that Sanchez really has his mind on and that’s to be a coach on The Ultimate Fighter. He had lobbied the UFC for a spot opposite Nick Diaz before they made the GSP-Diaz fight. Sanchez and Diaz have a history together, which led to Sanchez defeating Diaz by unanimous decision back in November of 2005. There truly is no love lost between the two.

“I was the original Ultimate Fighter,” Sanchez said proudly. “I want it, I was the first one to win it and I have given the UFC so many great fights. I had three fights that were in the top 12 all-time fights and that doesn’t include the Kampmann fight which could be Fight of the Year this year. I feel as though I have paid my dues with Zuffa. I know Diaz very well and we do have a history together. We would have great energy as coaches. We have had some beef, but we would go in there and let it all hang out.

"I have a total trust in God. I want to continue to get better and continue to train. I want to stay in the dream and try and get my body weight up so I won’t be at such a disadvantage when I fight these monster welterweights that are out there. I am gaining a lot of strength by fighting against guys who are bigger than I am in the gym.

"I have two great wrestling partners in Derrick Brooks and Willie Parks, these guys are national champions and have helped me grow as a fighter in so many ways. I may be getting a little older, but I am 29 years old and in my prime. I got my head screwed on right and am back where I belong with Greg Jackson, at home in New Mexico.”