Diego Sanchez accomplished many great things during his Hall of Fame UFC career.
'The Nightmare' won the first season of Ultimate Fighter before competing in the Octagon 32 times during an incredible 15-year run in MMA's premier promotion.
Diego Sanchez picked up high-profile wins over Nick Diaz, Kenny Florian, Paulo Thiago, Clay Guida, Jim Miller and Michel Pereira before looking to end his epic MMA career in 2022
However, some fans will always remember him for being on the right side of the most controversial judging decisions in UFC history.
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
The story of Diego Sanchez vs Ross Pearson
Diego Sanchez vs Ross Pearson was an uncomplicated matchup between two fringe lightweight contenders who didn't even come close to winning fight of the night.
It should have been forgotten a few days after they fought in June 2014 – but more than a decade later, the fight is brought up every time fans discuss the greatest robberies of all time.
After three rounds of action, Sanchez bizarrely took a split-decision win.
Pearson outscored his opponent in every round to seemingly run out a clear winner, but only one of the cageside judges saw him win the 15-minute affair.
Judge Marcos Rosales scored the fight 30-27 to Pearson, the card having 13 of the 14 media members, with the outlier still giving Sanchez's opponent the Fight 29-28.
Amazingly, judges Jeff Collins and Chris Tellez scored the match for Sanchez.
Their 30-27 and 29-28 verdicts caused a huge stir in the MMA community.
Dana White was furious. The UFC boss conceded Pearson his win bonuses and declined to book a rematch because he felt 'The Real Deal' was such a clear winner that it wasn't necessary.
“It was terrible. In the second round, Diego was dropped and a judge still gave him that round. Insanity, man. Pearson was robbed,” White said.
“Pearson clearly won that fight. He easily won that fight. We need to treat Pearson like he won and give him that fight at the next level. “
“The thing about our sport is that there's never any of that hometown Bulls ***. Yes, more people will be cheering for you than the next guy, but it's not like the judges are all from that town.
“Typically, athletic committees draw the best from around the country. Whoever gave that fight all three rounds to Sanchez should never judge another fight. '
Where is Diego Sanchez now?
Sanchez has not fought in MMA since his unanimous decision draw against Kevin Lee at Eagle FC 46 in June 2022.
He has since moved on to bare-bones boxing and feuded with Canelo Alvarez's former opponent, Austin Trout, who knocked him out via fourth-round doctor's stoppage last February.
What's next for the 43-year-old's combat sports career remains a mystery, but he's about to step back into the spotlight as the subject of Vice's latest documentary.
UFC legend, Diego Sanchez faced one of his toughest battles outside the cage—his tumultuous relationship with self-proclaimed “Guru” Joshua Fabia. What started as mentorship quickly spiraled into manipulation and left Sanchez at a crossroads in both his career and personal life… pic.twitter.com/fsbirfcwg1
– Vice TV (@vicetv) January 14, 2025
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Episode 2 of the channel's new MMA docuseries 'Dark Side of the Cage' will air on Wednesday evening.
It will focus on Sanchez's tumultuous relationship with self-proclaimed 'Guru' Joshua Fabia. What started as mentorship quickly spiraled into manipulation and left Sanchez at a crossroads in both his career and personal life.
The two men ended their partnership years ago, but now it's set to become mainstream news again as Sanchez publicly talks about his former coach, who he claims had him “under a spell” prior to their split.
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