UFC legend Diego Sanchez's bizarre feud with his longtime advisor and cornerman Joshua Fabia involved a six-figure extortion fee to part ways.
UFC pioneer Diego Sanchez decided to allow Joshua Fabia, a self-proclaimed 'guru' with controversial training methods, into his inner circle during the final stages of his promotional period. As it turned out, the decision would lead to a messy divorce from the UFC and the severing of several relationships with the company.
A prominent member of the legendary cast of The Ultimate Fighter: Season 1, Sanchez sought Fabia's help and guidance to start a new chapter in the UFC Octagon. Fabia's training methods included placing Sánchez upside down and punching him in the stomach, unorthodox strength exercises and other strange elements.
After months of alleged psychological abuse by Fabia, Sanchez split with him in 2021. The decision to part ways with Fabia would not end in a silent breakup as Fabia slandered Sanchez in a series of social media posts.
Fabia then demanded $100,000 from Sanchez for alleged personal damages resulting from the breakup at his home. Images of the altercation spread online, and many Sánchez supporters attacked Fabia for bullying techniques.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Diego Sanchez about Joshua Fabia: “I wanted to kill him”
On a recent episode of Deeper Into the Cage, Sanchez reflected on Fabia confronting him at his residence and demanding $100,000 after he decided to break up.
“For me it had reached such a high, it was so deep that this man was going to kill me, or I was going to have to kill him,” Sánchez said. “I wanted to kill him, but I knew that if I took these measures, I would miss the second half of my child's childhood.
“He made me sign the check at that moment, also on camera. To have proof that it wasn't 'forced'. At the time it was the easiest thing to do because I would have done anything to get out of that situation… I was in real danger and people could see that I was.”
Sanchez was released by the UFC in 2021 after a 16-year stint with the promotion. His last UFC fight was a unanimous decision loss to Jake Matthews at UFC 253.
Sanchez's release came shortly after the Matthews fight after footage of Fabia getting into a heated verbal altercation with the UFC broadcast team went viral on social media. He would then sign a one-fight contract with Khabib Nurmagomedov's Eagle FC promotion, falling to Kevin Lee at Eagle FC 46 in 2022.
The rift between Diego Sanchez and Joshua Fabia is one of MMA's most bizarre feuds
At the time of writing, it is uncertain what Fabia is up to since the break with Sánchez. He accused Sánchez of taking advantage of him during their long business and training partnership.
Sanchez made his UFC debut at the TUF 1 Finale, defeating Kenny Florian for the season's middleweight tournament championship. He won his first six professional fights before falling to Josh Koscheck in a No. 1 ranked welterweight bout at UFC 69.
Sanchez defeated the likes of Karo Parisyan, Nick Diaz and Jim Miller during his UFC tenure. The 43-year-old returned to combat sports in 2023, switching to bare-knuckle fighting and losing to Austin Trout at Bare Knuckle FC: KnuckleMania 3.
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